My Immortal
by marauderzoe
Summary: What if there was another Mikaelson sister? One who died, but is now back and trying to get her family back together. Her name is Evanna, she's a witch first, immortal second. A spitfire, with her own dark past and problems, but overall, she'd stop at nothing to get the Mikaelson clan back together again. [REWRITING IN PROGRESS]
1. Chapter 1 (Rewritten)

**DEAREST READERS, FOLLOWERS, REVIEWERS AND FAVOURITERS, **

**I'm still here. I haven't forgotten about the story. But, I wasn't happy with where I was going with it. Now, with a new bout of inspiration, I've started the rewriting process. **

**My apologies for keeping you waiting for over a year, you deserve better. And now, instead of a new chapter, I'm giving you a different story. I do hope you like the changes I'm adding. Some parts will seem familiar, because I didn't change everything. Now, without further ado, I will leave you to read this new and hopefully improved first chapter.**

**Thank you for reading and a special thanks to all the lovely reviewers, followers and favouriters who have stuck by me. You're all awesome :)**

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The world vibrated as she found her way back to the world of the living. Her time of repentance was over. Evanna walked the earth once more. The young woman was aware that her return wouldn't go unnoticed. But for now, she didn't care. She had a mission and she would not fail. Calling on her magic, she cloaked herself in darkness. New Orleans awaited.

The young woman wasn't surprised to find her two living brothers fighting. She sighed, once again, a girl had wormed her way between them. She leaned against the doorframe, slightly amused by their bickering.

"There's this saying of history repeating itself, I guess it is rather apt for the situation you two seem to be finding yourself in. Honestly, how many times are you going to let a girl come between you? For the life of me, I have no idea why you two idiots allow a girl to ruin what little brotherly affection you have left. For fuck's sake, Hayley isn't worth the calories, hell she's not even worth a single bit of oxygen." Evanna said from her position, observing Nik and Elijah carefully, wondering how they will react to her sudden appearance. Two pairs of astonished eyes fell on her.

"Evanna?" They both uttered in disbelief.

"In the flesh." She said with a wink, making her way to her brothers who stood frozen in surprise.

"So, am I going to get a hug or what?" The girl asked, acting as if this was nothing new. Elijah was the first to recover, enveloping her in a gentle but firm hug.

"How?" He whispered as he let go of her, not sure she was really here.

"Magic, brother dear." A sly smile graced her mouth. Before she could explain any further, Nik wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Nik, could you maybe refrain from crushing my bones?" She said through a giggle. He reluctantly let go.

"For someone who just came back from the dead, you seem surprisingly at ease." Nik commented, observing his sister carefully. She shrugged.

"What'd you expect, Nik? I'm immortal. Even death can't keep me away. Let's refer to it as a necessary vacation."

Elijah cocked a brow at her response.

"Necessary vacation? Necessary vacation?" Nik's voice was rising as he continued, "we thought you were gone forever! Yet you come strolling in, merrily, as if nothing happened and you just dismiss it? You knew that you would return, but we believed you to be gone forever, Eva. Forever." He emphasised the last word and the girl flinched slightly. His temper hadn't changed much.

"You think I wanted to die? I had no choice in the matter. It was forced upon me and I had to die, without knowing for certain that I would return. It was easier to have you believe that I was gone forever instead of dangling maybes. I'm back now, so either you accept it or you don't." Eva laid down the way it was going to be.

"You had to die?" Elijah asked in concern.

"It's a long story, one you'll hear in due time. Now, where's Rebekah?" Evanna asked, looking around the room.

"I'm surprised she didn't give you hell for repeating history." The girl continued, making her way to the courtyard.

"She left."

Eva whirled around to face Nik. There was something in his tone, it was a slight change, undetectable to most, but she heard it.

"What did you do?" She inquired, arms folded and staring him down. It wasn't an easy feat, given that Niklaus was taller than her, but she managed.

"The usual. Betrayal, a fight, threat of a dagger. In the end I told her to leave." Nik explained. He at least had the decency to look a bit ashamed of his actions. Eva's stern face faltered and instead was replaced by compassion.

"Why am I not surprised? You know, Nik, you really need to do something about that temper of yours. Anyway, let's ask her to come back, shall we. Can I have a phone?" Elijah handed her a phone and she looked for Bekah's number. Finding it, she dialled her sister.

"Hi Beks, it's your favourite girl in the whole wide world. I'm back. And I really want to see you, so could you pretty please forget whatever squabble you and Nik have and come back to New Orleans? Lots of love. Eva." It had gone straight to voice mail, so she left a message and handed to phone back to Elijah.

Looking around the place, Eva decided on what to do with her down time. It was only mid-afternoon and the sun was touching her face. Leaning her head back, she basked in its warmth. It was only when she heard other voices that she focussed back on her surroundings. She moved closer to her brothers who were talking to Marcel.

"Hello, Marcel." She grinned at him.

"Evanna. You look as beautiful as always. Welcome back." He said while hugging her.

"Flattery will get you anywhere, Marcel. It's good to be back." She said, smiling at being alive once more.

"I'm going to go out for a walk." Eva decided, not being at all interested in the day to day business of ruling the French Quarter.

"Careful, sweetheart. We're trying not to attract trouble." Nik warned.

"Me, trouble?" She feigned ignorance. "I'll be on my best behaviour." She flipped her hair on the side, gave a small wave at the vampires and then stalked out of the Abattoir.

She walked around the Quarter, enjoying its vibrant atmosphere and taking in all the people, the noises, the smells. A small smile graced her face as she made her way to the cemetery. It really hadn't changed at all, she thought to herself as she set foot on the hallowed ground. She could feel the stirrings of magic in this place. Ancestral magic wasn't that easy to hide, apparently. Eva didn't mind, instead opting to see whether she could tap into it. Her smile widened when she felt the power move at her command. She'd promised to be on her best behaviour, but it was all so tempting. Besides, she was rather interested to see what had become of the coven. It didn't take long for her to be noticed.

"Who are you?" A voice came from behind her. Eva slowly turned to face the witch.

"Genevieve. I must say I'm a bit hurt you don't remember me. Did I really not leave an impression?" The redhead's eyes went wide with recognition.

"Evanna." The young woman nodded.

"You do remember me. So, this is what has become of the coven, is it? Quite sad, really." She commented, pointing at the three other witches that stood behind her, looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" Genevieve took a threatening step forward.

"Don't strain yourself, Gen. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm only here to talk to miss Claire." Eva motioned to the young brunette.

"She's part of this coven, Evanna. Everything you wish to say to her can be said in front of me."

"Just because you deign yourself the leader, doesn't mean I recognise you as such." The witch said with an air of nonchalance, though she was getting a bit annoyed at Genevieve's interfering.

"I'd be careful, Evanna. We have a truce with the vampires, but it all depends on the continuation of the stipulated terms."

The ginger-haired woman sighed in annoyance. Her impatience was growing.

"Sweetheart, you honestly think I give a damn about that truce? I could wipe the floor with you, here and now. Now, let me talk to Davina Claire." Eva rarely felt the need to make threats, whenever she made demands, people adhered them, giving her exactly what she wanted. This time was no different.

"You have one hour." The coven elder said, pushing Davina forward after whispering something to the young girl. She hesitantly walked over to the older witch.

"Hello, Davina. I'm Evanna. Care for a walk?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead steering the girl towards the Quarter, believing the girl to be more comfortable if she were in a place with other people.

"What do you want from me?" The brunette finally found her voice.

"For now, just to talk. I'm sorry about the Harvest Ritual. I never quite got the whole sacrificial thing the ancestors got going on. Then again, ancestral magic is rather dependent on the goodwill of the ancestors. Probably the reason why I don't like it all that much."

"How do you know Genevieve?"

"We have some history together, but that is a story for another time. For now, I'd like to talk to you about options."

Davina repeated the last word in question.

"Yes, options, as in, I could help you out with your magic, get you away from the coven or whatever the hell you want. Look at me as your ticket to freedom."

"What do you want in return?"

Eva liked the girl, she got spunk and wasn't as naïve as she'd first thought the young witch to be.

"It depends on what you decide to do. If you wish to leave the coven, I'll ask you for a favour, but if you'd rather not do it, then I'll find another way." The immortal witch didn't see the harm in being honest with Davina.

"Why would I want to leave the coven?" She asked, not sure of Evanna's motivation.

"Honestly, I can't help but wonder why you'd want to stay. The ancestors haven't exactly been kind to you." Eva said with a small inclination of the head.

"But, I can't just quit it, if I do, I'll be left unprotected and if I leave town, I can't practice magic."

They were getting to the root of the problem.

"As for protection, no need to worry there, Marcel will always have your back. So will I, though for now, that may not mean much to you. Magic wise, well, let's just say there is a way for you to detach yourself from the ancestors and become a practicing witch both inside and outside the city limits." Eva explained.

"That's impossible."

"I've learnt long ago that nothing's impossible if you have but the daring and the wits. Your father was a witch from out of town, he has no ties to the ancestors. In other words, your blood is connected to a well of magic outside the ancestors. I can sever your link to the ancestors, freeing you from their impulses and their whims. But, it does come with a price."

"What?"

Eva wondered how best to broach this subject to the girl.

"Normally, it wouldn't be that difficult to cut your ties to the coven, but because of the Harvest Ritual and you being the last one sacrificed, the bond between you and the ancestors was slightly strengthened and modified. I can still break the bond, but doing so would bring you extremely close to death and there is actually a slim chance that you would die."

"So, it would be safer for me to remain where I am." Davina concluded.

"Not necessarily. You're tied to the ancestors, and because of your status as a Harvest Girl, in time, they might be able to take possession of you, or to abandon you completely. If you remain in the coven, you must adhere to its leader's wishes and to the will of the ancestors. You might be tasked to do things that go against your better judgement. If you decide to not carry them out, you could be shunned."

"Why has no one ever told me that?" Davina asked in disbelief, looking at the other witch.

"It took me years to figure it out myself, Davina. I abhor ancestral magic simply because of its dependence of the goodwill of the Spirits. And since we don't always see eye to eye, they don't like it much when I meddle in their business. The extent of the Spirits' powers is unknown, and most guesses have always underrated their prowess. Believe me when I say, if they unite, they can quite literally move mountains. Of course, they rarely do, as they are divided amongst themselves, but still." Eva looked around the quarter once more, deciding that not much had changed since her last visit. People were still drawn to the city like moths to a flame.

"Why me?" Davina whispered.

"I knew your grandmother, delightful woman. You look a lot like her. And I know she'd want more for you than New Orleans has to offer. But, it's your choice. Take your time to decide, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Glancing at her watch, Eva decided it might be best to get the girl back to the cemetery. She wouldn't impose on Genevieve's tolerance any more than she already had.

"Let's get you back to your coven."

"Evanna, you say you knew my grandmother, does that mean that you know my father as well? And how do you know her? I mean, you don't look old." The girl commented.

"Your grandmother and I crossed paths many moons ago. I'm a lot older than I appear, as you probably guessed. I'm not like other witches, my powers are greater than most conventional witches and I have had centuries to hone them. As for your father, I have not seen him in years." Considering her recent return to the land of the living, Eva was little up to date with acquaintances from her most recent past.

"But you know him? And he is a witch as well?" Davina couldn't quite hide the curiosity in her tone.

"Ron's a warlock, yes. He inherited that quality from his mother. I only met him as a teenage boy, and as most teenage boys, he was rather arrogant and blinded by his youth. But, he was kind and he loved his mother dearly." Eva didn't know much else to say, but the girl seemed satisfied for now.

"You think I might ever meet him?" She didn't sound wistful, just curious.

Eva wondered what was going through her head, did Davina want to meet her father and inquire as to why he left? Or did she want to know him? Eva resisted the urge to delve into the young girl's mind, allowing Davina the privacy of her own thoughts.

"I don't know Davina, that is up to him as much as it is up to you. I know he wouldn't have left you and your mother without a reason." That much Eva could tell the young girl. Knowing Michelle, she would've instilled some kind of family values onto her son and would scold him if he would abandon his daughter.

"It doesn't really matter much, I'm just curious, I guess." Davina shrugged, but Evanna could hear the dejection in her tone.

"You have every reason to, Davina." Evanna assured the girl.

"I see you're making friends already, Eva." Marcel said as they rounded a corner.

"What can I say, I was rather curious how the coven was faring."

"I'm sure you were." His tone implied that he knew that there was more to the story than she let on, but respecting and trusting Eva, Marcel didn't ask for details.

"You two know each other." Davina stated, looking from Marcel to Evanna.

"I've known Eva since I was a boy, she's pretty close to the Originals. Speaking of Originals, Rebekah called back, saying that she's on her way to New Orleans. She seemed quite happy to hear from you." Marcel informed her.

"Fantastic. I can't wait to see her. Goddess, have I missed her." Eva didn't stay long, choosing to give Marcel and Davina some time alone. She didn't tell him that Davina needed to be returned to the coven or they might get into trouble. With a wave she was gone.

The witch didn't return to the Abattoir immediately, instead she made two stops. One in the plantation house, where she looked around for witch supplies and some fine wine from Elijah's not so well hidden cellar. Once she got out of the house, she went to the store, getting the things that couldn't be found in the plantation house. A jingle announced her arrival. She noted that, like most of the Quarter, the store hadn't changed much, but it had commercialised. New Orleans had become a real magnet for believers in magic. She made my way through the store, trying to locate the ingredients for her spells. There were few people in the store, looking for a thrill.

"Cute." The witch commented as she looked upon the two girls' attempt at finding a hex. Both girls looked at her.

"This bitch from school is making our lives a living hell. It would be fine if she'd just leave us alone, but she just keeps pushing. We want to make her pay."

How petty and yet, Eva understood the need to avenge being wronged.

"You might want to think bigger. That won't work." The young woman drifted through the store and grabbed some bird bones, a Swastika talisman and some lavender.

"Here, all you need to do is put the name of the one you want to torment on a piece of paper, put these items in a small hex bag and give it to them. Then light a candle and burn the piece of paper after sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flame." She infused the talisman with some magic before handing them the items.

"How do you know that?" One of the girls asked, slightly taken aback by Eva's offer.

"How does anyone know anything? You are in the French Quarter after all. Evanna, I did not know you were in town." The witch in question turned towards Nandi, the owner of Nandi's Specials.

"Nandi, how lovely to see you. I must say, you don't look a year over fifty. Some herbs you've been using." She was supposed to be eighty at least. She was a witch and she also happened to be Valerie LaMarche's daughter. A woman Eva had encountered in the past and whom she had little regard for. They'd met when Eva had been in New Orleans before her necessary vacation.

"Herbs won't keep me from dying, Eva. Something you seem to have no problem overcoming. It's been decades and you have not changed one bit."

As the two witches were exchanging greetings, the teenage girls made their way to the exit. Unfortunately for them, Evanna had noticed them moving. She whooshed over, halting their exit.

"You haven't paid yet, it would be a big mistake to steal from a witch."

"We don't want the hex after all. We have to go." For a moment, the witch considered to have some fun with them, but there were other things she needed to take care of.

"Of course. Well, why don't you go then and forget what just happened here, would you?" She put some compulsion in it, so they wouldn't be able to recall it, though no one would believe them. Still, one could never be too careful. She moved out of the way and let them leave.

"Not that it is not good to see you, but I am a bit on a tight schedule. I need Ametrine and mastic."

"Those aren't items one has just lying around. What are you planning on doing?" Nandi asked as she started shuffling through the store.

"I have need of the Original family. All of them."

"You're going to summon the dead." Nandi concluded.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, from what I've gathered, it has been quite the rage these days. Papa Tundé, Celeste, Genevieve."

While Eva had been wandering the Quarter, she'd made herself a bit more acquainted with its happenings since the return of her family to the city. It hadn't been that hard to do, the magic had still tinged the air, making it easier for her to uncover the spells that had been used.

"The Harvest Ritual, as you may know, was highjacked, yet it wasn't anything too unnatural." Nandi said while handing Eva the stone. The woman had an aversion towards crude methods. Her mother had used expression and Nandi had been rather repulsed by it.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get the Mikaelsons back. Do you have any bat's head root in this shop of yours?"

"That's some dangerous magic you intend to pull off, Eva. Don't let it take control over you." Nandi warned as she went to the back to retrieve the mastic.

Evanna waited, looking around the store once more. The girl cared little for the opinion of Nandi and the dangers that could come with her choice of magic. She was well versed and had a thousand years of experience, there was little to none that Nandi could offer to make her reconsider.

"It appears that you won't be swayed, but I warn you, Eva, be careful. Certain things have a way of catching up to us and be wary, the Mikaelsons aren't some petty vampires you can fool." Reluctantly, Nandi handed her the items she'd asked for. The older witch could only smile.

"I'll be fine, Nandi. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Now, how much do I owe you?" After paying for the ingredients, the witch left the shop, making her way back to the Abattoir.

"Someone's been busy." Nik commented as Eva put her purchases down on a table.

"You're the one who's been stealing my wine." Elijah said as he looked at the several bottles the girl had brought with her.

"What happened to what's mine is yours?" She said with a smirk. Elijah refrained from commenting on that, instead opting to look at what his sister had brought.

"Tarot cards?" Klaus asked, holding up an old pack.

"It's an art." Eva stated.

With the coming of the whole new age and wicca movement, certain forms of craft were ridiculed. Tarot cards being one of them. Few witches actually used them since they had become closely associated with frauds and wannabe psychics. It annoyed Evanna to no end.

"If you say so. What are you planning on doing with all this?" Nik motioned to the items she'd brought with her.

"I'm planning on building a house." The girl said while giving her brother a pointed look.

"I was wondering what kind of spell you were planning on doing."

Eva shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I just bought these things, in case I might need to improvise. And since we're on the topic, can I have Esther's grimoire?" Elijah disappeared into the house.

Silence hung as Eva arranged everything in a conjured box. She caught Nik's eyes and smiled at his expression.

"It is easy to forget how effortless magic was to you." Klaus admitted, seeing his sister just moving objects around without the least bit of effort, without even uttering a spell.

"Centuries of experience."

"Elijah, I just –" Hayley whined, but she was cut off by Elijah.

"Not now, Hayley, I'm dealing with important family matters." Elijah sighed, stalking into the courtyard.

"Mother's grimoire is missing."

Eva took in his words, dropping the objects gently on the table.

"That's rather unfortunate." Eva said, shuffling through the papers she had brought with her from the plantation house.

"You don't seem too upset about it." Elijah commented, noting Evanna's rather blasé attitude on the matter at hand.

"It was more for reference. I know it by heart, and I doubt that it'd be much help with what I'm planning on doing."

"You do realise that just because you have no need for it, other witches might? There are a lot of spells in it, spells that could potentially hurt us. In case you forgot, not all of us have the power to defend ourselves with magic and not all of us are as popular as you are, Eva. There are witches out there who'd rather see us dead." Niklaus' temper was once again rising.

The girl had almost forgotten how amusing Nik's outburst could be.

"Don't get your nickers in a twist, Niki. The grimoire is very well protected. Anyone who attempts to use it without our permission will have some trouble reading it. And lifting the spell requires the blood of the entire Original Family. Since about half of them are dead, I wouldn't worry about that. Plus, Esther already made sure that some spells were illegible to anyone using the grimoire who doesn't share her blood." The girl explained, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Klaus was glaring at his sister, not very fond of her nickname for him.

"Who are you?" Hayley asked, looking at the two Originals and the new girl.

"Evanna." She said with a smile, as though that was explanation enough.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't really see how that's any of your damn business." Eva didn't like this girl at all and she wouldn't waste energy on the little wolf.

"Evanna." Elijah scolded. The girl's eyes went to her brother.

"Don't give me that, Elijah."

"She's carrying Niklaus' child." Her brother gave her a pointed look.

"So she says." Eva replied.

"Do you know something that we don't, Eva?" Nik asked, mingling in the conversation, looking from his sister to the pregnant werewolf.

"I don't know, Hayley, is there something you forgot to tell the Mikaelsons?" The witch' smile widened, enjoying riling the girl up.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Yet, all three Mikaelsons could hear her heartbeat quickening. Niklaus took action, speeding up to the werewolf and backing her against the wall.

"Careful, Nik, she's pregnant." Evanna warned, concerned about the baby.

"I want to truth." He said, while backing up. Evanna came to stand next to her brother.

"We'll get it. Just not through violence. There are easier ways of determining the baby's daddy." Eva advanced on the girl, holding her in place with magic. The witch grabbed Hayley's hand and delved into her mind, easily breaking through the defences. She was careful not to harm the baby, a child should never have to pay for its parents' mistakes. It didn't take Evanna long to find what she was looking for.

"Oh dear, you have been a busy wolf, haven't you?" Eva said when she let go of Hayley's hand.

"She is not carrying my child, then?" Klaus asked, his words barely a whisper.

"You're not the father." Eva reluctantly said, wondering how Nik would take it. Upon hearing those words, he all but lunged himself at the wolf, Elijah quickly stepping forward restraining him.

"You traitorous little bitch, claiming to be the mother of my child. Using us for protection. You will regret lying to us, you will pay for your deceit." He shouted while struggling against Elijah. Niklaus continued to yell at Hayley, cursing her, threatening her.

"Niklaus." Both Elijah and Evanna shouted, trying to get him to calm down.

"You, leave. Go to the bayou and stay there. Do not try the leave New Orleans, I won't let you. This isn't over." Evanna said, releasing the girl from the magic holding her in place, while at the same time working her magic to make sure that the wolf wouldn't flee town.

"And you…" Eva wasn't able to finish her sentence, because another voice joined in.

"Looks like I got here just in time to join in the fun." Rebekah announced herself, looking at the scene unfolding before her.

"So, what is the problem now?" The blonde asked as she walked up to hug her little sister.

"Rebekah!" Eva twirled around, running to meet her sister, while at the same time making sure that everyone stayed put.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Eva. But first, what's happening here?" Rebekah motioned to Elijah and Klaus, who was still not calmed down.

"Oh, you know, Hayley lied about her baby's parentage and Elijah's trying to restrain Nik from hurting the little wolf." The female Original let out a surprised noise.

"Let's talk him down." Rebekah said once she was recovered from the shock. The vampire joined Elijah in his efforts to restrain the hybrid. His added strength was making it rather challenging for the male vampire. Eva stood in front of her brother, trying to capture his attention.

"Nik, look at me, look at me." She tried in a soothing tone, hoping that he would stop trying to go after Hayley. Stop fighting his brother and sister. He finally succumbed.

"It's not my child." He sounded a bit broken. The youngest Mikaelson resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his whimpering.

"Nik, look at me. I'm sorry she lied, that was a dick move. It's not fair, dangling a promise like this, a promise that you started to warm up to. But, it's not the end of the world."

"You're damn right it's not fair. She will pay for what she did. I will hunt her down and I will make her pay for the lies she told, for the way she used me." Klaus' anger was close to reaching a boiling point, but Elijah and Rebekah still had a hold on him.

"Niklaus, calm yourself, please. The girl is still pregnant, whether the child is yours or not, no harm will come to her so long as she is with child." Elijah tried and failed to calm his younger brother down.

"Nik, it's okay to be sad about losing the baby, it's okay to care." Rebekah tried.

"I'm not sad, Rebekah, I'm upset and I'm angry. How could she do that to me? To me? I am Niklaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid. I will not be played like a fool."

"I give you free reign to do with her as you please, as soon as the baby is born. But for now, you need to calm the fuck down, before I make you." Eva stated, getting tired of Nik's antiques. He made his point. Her brother caught her glare and he stopped resisting.

"Fine, now let me go." He shouted and at once, Elijah and Rebekah let go. Klaus leaned against the wall before sliding down, looking defeated.

"It'll be okay, Nik. We'll get through this." Rebekah said while sitting down next to him. She looked a bit deflated and Eva understood her sister. Beks had always had this nurturing side to her and the prospect of being an aunt had been rather appealing to her.

"You know, there's something I don't quite get, though." Eva squatted down to sit opposite her brother and sister. Elijah did the same.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong, but what the hell were you all thinking? I mean, I say this with all the love I have for you, but really, supporting Nik in becoming a father? Sure, you were, perhaps, somewhere, warming up to the idea of having a child, a little baby girl that you could love and that could perhaps save you from this miserable existence. And that's great, you wanted to give it a go and care about another living being. Good for you. But, Nik, a kid, really? Honestly, at this point in your life, you'd make a terrible father. You hardly know how to be a decent brother half of the time. Let's be real, you becoming a father was a disaster waiting to happen." She said with a small inclination of her head, hoping that she wasn't being too hard on her brother. Nik reached out to grab her hand and he gave it a small squeeze.

"Leave it to Eva to give us all a good kick in the arse, eh?" Klaus said half-heartedly, mustering up a small smile to his youngest sister.

"I'm sure you would've come to the same conclusion on your own. But, since you're not going to be a father, I guess we can focus your affection elsewhere." Evanna said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, alerting her siblings that she was most definitely up to something.

"Eva, care to inform us of what exactly it is that you are planning on doing?" Elijah inquired, deciding that while his brother was no longer screaming bloody murder, he wasn't entirely himself, it would be good to diffuse the former topic and instead address his sister's whim.

"I'm going to do a reading." She said, reluctantly getting up.

"Are you sure Tarot Cards are the answer?" Nik asked, looking up at his sister.

"There is no right or wrong answer, I'm just curious as to what lies in the cards." She left her siblings and went to the table, clearing some space to lay out the cards.

"I'm a tad bit disappointed, Eva, I'd at least expected a bit of decoration." Marcel said as he walked into the courtyard.

"Please, don't mistake me for one of those charlatans. If they need to play dress up, they most definitely have no idea what they're doing." He chuckled at her answer. Then he noted Rebekah.

"Welcome back." Marcel said, nodding his head at the blonde in greeting.

"How are things going in the Quarter?" Klaus inquired.

"Things are as they ought to be. The witches are off our back thanks to the truce, though I'm not sure whether it'll stay this peaceful when Genevieve's learns of the return of Rebekah."

"Leave Genevieve be, she is no threat. How was Davina?" Eva asked, wondering whether she'd informed Marcel of the choice the witch had placed before her.

"She seemed to have a lot on her mind. I take it you made her an offer?" Marcel deduced.

"I did, but she is free to make her choice without repercussions from me. I merely laid out how it would be. It is up to her what she decides to do with the information given to her." Evanna said, though hoping that the young witch would chose to help her.

"You're planning of involving Davina in whatever you are cooking up?" Rebekah asked, moving towards her sister.

"Not really, I just offered her a ticket to freedom of the New Orleans Coven."

"I didn't know you had the authority to do so." Marcel commented.

"Sweetheart, I am Evanna, surely you know that there is little that I cannot do." The girl said with a pointed look at the vampire.

"That is true. I'll leave you to your cards. I have some business to attend to." With a nod to the others, Marcel was off to do his part of running the Quarter.

"He makes a fine king of the quarter." Evanna noted as he was gone.

"I believe I am the king, Eva." Nik stated.

"Anyone who has to say that he is king, doesn't actually hold the power. Besides, why be king? It's boring and filled with responsibilities. A bastard prince gives you all the more freedom." The witch replied, a sparkle in her eyes as she recalled a distant past.

"I guess you do make a fine point, and Marcel is doing a rather commendable job." Klaus conceded.

"Did you actually yield your title to Marcel?" Rebekah asked in disbelief.

"For the time being, yes. I believe we have rather pressing family matters to attend to, don't we?" Niklaus looked at Eva who had already started shuffling the desk of Tarot cards.

"All in due time, Niklaus." The witch stated as she started laying out the cards. Her siblings took some seats and went to sit by her.

"Aren't you eager to know what lays ahead?" Eva said with a cheeky grin.

"I believe we are more eager to figure out how you got back, Eva. And magic is not a satisfying answer." Elijah remarked.

"The cards will have to do for now." The witch declared before turning around the first card.

"Knight of Pentacles." The witch uttered thoughtfully.

"Is that good?" Rebekah inquired.

"It's definitely not bad, this card means that it is time to assess the situation and take charge. This card does represent a lack of imagination, a more old fashioned approach to whatever task is at hand. The good thing about this card is that it represents determination as well. The Knight of Pentacles does not quit before the goal is achieved." Evanna explained before turning around the next card.

"Two of Wands." Rebekah announced, looking expectantly at her sister to explain its meaning.

"This is getting rather optimistic. When the energy of this card seeps into your life, it represents the power of the Will in achieving ones dreams. It's about shaping and directing power toward whichever area of your life it is needed." The young woman was surprised at the optimistic tones of the cards so far, usually they showed her a rather bleak prospect. This actually sounded good and actually gave her hope in succeeding in her objective. She almost dreaded turning around the last card, afraid of it thrashing the hopes of the previous cards. But, she needed to know. The witch was met by an image of the hanged man.

"Of course, happiness and greater wisdom are at hand, but you must sacrifice something to gain it. Why does that not surprise me." She muttered more to herself than to the others. Regarding the three cards, Eva decided that she would continue on what she had decided to do. Sure, the last card was a reminder of the careful balancing act of the Divine and the Universe, but her course had already been decided upon. It might need to be slightly altered, but Evanna's mind was set.

"So, what's the verdict?" Niklaus inquired when his sister remained silent as she was observing the cards in front of her.

"I'm going to bring Finn and Kol back from the Other Side." She announced to her siblings, gauging their reaction.

"Of course you are." Elijah said with a shrug. He should've seen this coming. Evanna valued family.

Rebekah's eyes had lit up at the revelation. She had been saddened by the death of her brothers, although she hadn't been that close to them in the past centuries. The blonde vampire was pleased that her sister was back and offering them all a new chance at a family reunion.

"I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more interesting around here." Niklaus noted, not quite certain how to deal with the information.

"Look, I know things haven't been that great in the past, but I believe it's time for a new beginning. And I for one, feel that our family deserves a second chance. We will need to work on it, it won't be easy, but always and forever, right?" Evanna stated, aware that she was partially to blame for her family drifting apart. In her defence, though, she did try, but some things were just a bit too complicated to explain. But, the truth could not be hidden for much longer.

"How exactly are you planning on bringing them back?" Elijah inquired, wondering whether it was actually possible.

"I'm not sure you're going to like what I have in mind, it requires some killing," Evanna admitted to her brother. She wasn't a fan of it herself, she hated the idea of having to sacrifice innocent people in order to gain the required power, but it was the only way she could bring them both back. Eva was not a fan of expression, she thought it to be extremely dangerous, but that kind of magic was the only one that would let her resurrect the dead.

"How many deaths are we talking about?" Nik asked, immediately skipping past trying to dissuade her and just getting to the heart of the matter.

Eva thought it over, she knew that there still remained some of the energy of the twelve dead witches from a couple of decades ago, she might be able to create a triangle with two dozens more sacrifices.

"Two dozen," Eva stated, hoping that they wouldn't be too discouraged by that amount.

"That seems an awful lot of work, especially when there is already a readymade potent triangle, without ancestral magic that could get in the way." A new voice joined in.

Eva didn't need to look up to know who that voice belonged to. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Couldn't stay away, could you?" Eva smirked, meeting the chocolate brown eyes of Roxane.

"I'm a curious woman, Eva." By then Roxane had crossed the distance between them and pulled the witch in for a hug.

"Glad to have you back," Roxane whispered in Evanna's hair.

"Happy to be back, and what were you saying of a readymade triangle?" Eva asked once the other witch let her go.

"It appears that once again, all the roads lead back to Mystic Falls."

Evanna cocked a brow at that. An expression triangle in Mystic Falls, now that was a rather interesting turn of events. And rather fortunate for her as well.

It was then that Nik chose to clear his throat.

"Hello, Niklaus, Elijah, Rebekah," Roxane greeted Eva's siblings, knowing fully well who they were.

"It appears that we are at a disadvantage, love, you know us, but we do not know you," Nik replied.

"I am Roxane, an old friend of your sister's."

Three pair of eyes went from Evanna to Roxane and then back to Evanna.

"Welcome to New Orleans, Roxane," Elijah greeted her, knowing that Eva would not just go around and trust anyone with secrets.

"Thank you, but I won't be imposing on your hospitality for much longer," Rox gave Eva a pointed look. The latter sighed before turning to her siblings.

"Look, my necessary vacation on the otherside served a purpose. There's a prophecy of the return of some ancient evil that has long laid dormant. Because of reasons, reasons that I will one day fully explain to you, when Kol and Finn are back, I had to die to give the power a chance to pass to someone else. Obviously this did not happen and it now falls to me," Evanna said, slightly dancing around the truth. There was an exasperated sigh could be heard from the dark-skinned girl next to her.

"Really, Eva? That's what you're going with?" There was a hint of amusement in Roxane's voice as well. Eva stuck out her tongue to the older witch.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand," Elijah admitted.

"Neither do I," Bekah stated.

"Of course you don't, not when your sister refuses to tell the whole story."

"That's your job, Rox," Eva said with a glare to the witch.

Roxane sighed again, but relented.

"_I remember, tales of old, _

_nine homes, up in the tree. _

_In times of old, Chaos, _

_no land nor sea, no sun nor moon, _

_no stars to shine down upon you. _

_The burden lifted, the mighty created. _

_Then the holy ones assembled, _

_up in their seats on the marbled thrones, _

_names they gave, council they held. _

_Order was established in the cosmos. _

_Nine worlds I knew, _

_with strong roots beneath the mould. _

_Mighty Midgard, _

_the realm of the mortals. _

_The battlefield for the gods. _

_Fire and blood colour the earth red. _

_A struggle for power, _

_one that could mean the end of the world. _

_The ash still stands, _

_hearing the prayer of a seventh child. _

_The old crone of the lofty tree, _

_white water,_

_cleansing the wickedness. _

_The call of the daughter was answered, _

_fair-haired Dayana _

_became the hope of the world. _

_The Erodia offered a deal, _

_Dayana accepted, _

_bestowing upon her gifts _

_too great for anyone to hold. _

_A great and terrible evil was stirring in the East, _

_the Mother wanted to walk again._

_The three-faced Maiden _

_found herself betrayed by Dayana. _

_The fair-haired witch _

_didn't uphold her end of the bargain, _

_dooming the world. _

_Heaven and earth bended to her will, _

_she became unstoppable. _

_Some tried, _

_but she refused to yield,_

_killing those she had once cared for. _

_But the Yggdrasil still endured,_

_the Crow Goddess lighted her torch, _

_calling to the one who had failed before. _

_Oaths were broken, _

_words and bonds made anew. _

_From the home of the gods, _

_he rose, mighty and gracious. _

_A last pledge he made, _

_the Saviour of Cities, _

_but would suffer the consequences. _

_Earth's Champion, _

_the god who had once sworn _

_to love Dayana forever, _

_finally managed to drive a sword through her heart. _

_Nine steps he took,_

_in swelling rage, _

_unknowingly linking his faith _

_with that of the Huntress. _

_Dayana was defeated, _

_but the battle wasn't won. _

_The Old Crone and the Lily _

_entombed the Mother, _

_not having the power to rid the world of her forever. _

_Only Dayana had, _

_and because of her, _

_so will others. _

_The Wild One will hunt again._

_But for now, _

_a new world has come into being, _

_risen from the ashes of death and destruction. _

_Time to wash our hands _

_from the bloodshed _

_and look to the earth,_

_in wondrous beauty once again. _

_A day shall come _

_when the Mother will walk this earth once more, _

_the gloomy serpent from below. _

_Now I must sink."_

"That's a prophecy?" Niklaus said in disbelief.

"It's a history from long ago, but it holds true until today. You see, a powerful witch should never have more than six children if her first child is female. Yet, every once in a while it happens. It's like statistics. Every thousand years, give or take a decade, a seventh daughter is born. It's magick to balance the possible return of the Mother. Normally, the witch in question shows extraordinary powers, but she lives a normal life. But with Evanna, something has changed. She was born a little over a millennium ago, and until this day, no seventh daughter has been born to a powerful witch. That's why she had to die, it might be that because she lived, to power couldn't let her go and move on to the rightful heir. Once it became clear that it wouldn't happen, the spell's failsafe brought her back," Roxane explained.

"So, you are going to fight some ancient evil?" Rebekah asked, deducing the implications of the story.

Evanna looked at Roxane and a silent conversation passed between them before Evanna grasped Roxane's personal visit.

"The baby?" Evanna spoke out loud.

"Nexus vorti," Roxane confirmed.

"Damn, she's good," Eva admitted, hating that this had fallen to her.

"Scary isn't it? But I will need to speak to the wolf herself, and you will come with. You've always been more forceful than me," Roxane stated.

"Anyone care to fill us in?" Niklaus asked, watching the exchange between his sister and Roxane.

"This ancient evil, Baba Yaga, she is making her move. Evanna's return to the land of the living has made her step up her game. The legend tells that she was only hidden away somewhere, but she was not defeated for good. She bid her time, slowly regaining her powers, until she would finally be able to make a move. It has been a long and slow process, but now, with the birth of the miracle baby, she will rise again," Roxane explained, giving another glance at Eva.

"There is a spell to resurrect the death, using a nexus vorti, a very rare occurrence. The birth of a hybrid baby would be one such thing," Evanna told them what Rox had left out, ignoring the look Roxane had given her.

"What will happen to the baby?" Rebekah asked, concern lacing her words.

"I will take her, keep her safe. The birth itself will not give Baba Yaga full strength, it will only allow her to break free from the chains. But her followers will come for the baby and will sacrifice it in her name. I will make sure that this doesn't happen." Roxane promised.

"We must get going, they are already coming. Your return has made them restless. I have been tracking them, ever since I learnt of the pregnancy. They won't be deterred, not when knowing that you are at the heart of this," Roxane continued, urging Eva on.

"I'll be back soon," Eva nodded at her family before following after Roxane, not even waiting for a response.

"You will have to tell them the truth about Kyra one day, Eva," Rox said when they were out of the vampires' earshot. The younger witch sighed.

"I know, but it's just, I don't know where to begin. Besides, I cannot bear to relay the story more than once, and getting the family together isn't exactly an easy feat," the ginger haired witch admitted.

"You know what's coming. You cannot do this on your own. And there's also another matter at hand in Mystic Falls. I know you are planning on going there to resurrect your lost brothers, but be careful. My mother has warned me of the instability of the Other Side. Travellers have gathered once more," Roxane warned Evanna.

"Travellers?" Eva repeated the last word in question, not sure whether she had heard it right.

"Yes, and I fear they are planning on bringing back their leader, if they haven't already done so," Roxane said, not sure how Eva would react to it.

"Markos," the name involuntarily toppled from the witch's lips. It was laced with anger, pain, fear and even a hint of longing.

"Don't lose sight of the goal, Eva. It's about the future, let the past be the past."

It didn't take the two witches long to make their way to the bayou. They were both faster than mortals and they could blend in easily with the shadows surrounding them. They found the werewolf sitting on the porch of one of the decrepit houses.

"Lovely," Roxane commented, not just about the surroundings, but about the eyes watching them as well.

"What do you want?" Hayley bit out, venom lacing her every word. She glared at Eva.

"Your daughter," Roxane said, coming to stand in front of the little wolf. She looked from Eva to Roxane in disbelief. Hayley put a protective hand on her stomach. Evanna actually pitied the girl for what was to come.

"You're not getting her," Hayley shouted, "You're not going to take my daughter away from me." She stood up now, glaring at the two witches.

"I beg to differ," Roxane's tone was one of boredom, as if she wasn't the least bit impressed with the wolf's bravery.

"Rox," Eva instructed the witch to back down. She had after all come along to do the talking.

"Look, Hayley, here's how it's going to be. You will go with Roxane and you will do exactly as she instructs, the very survival of your daughter depends on it. That child growing inside of your body, she will be a natural hybrid, not made, but created. People will come for her and they will want to use her for their personal gain. Roxane will make sure that she is protected and that she gets a normal life," Evanna didn't raise her voice, instead opting for an almost business like tone.

"I can protect her and if only you hadn't interfered, the Originals would be protecting her as well. I can take care of her, I'm her mother. And you may not know what it's like to have something growing inside of your body, I will do anything within my power to keep her safe."

Evanna almost laughed at the blind naïveté of the little wolf. But something she said struck a chord and Roxanne gently put an arm on her shoulder, murmuring her name softly.

"I know very well what I'm asking of you Hayley, I was once forced to make the same choice. I gave up my daughter in order to spare her from a faith worse than death. I made the choice then, with a heavy heart, I gave up my daughter, not knowing whether I'll ever see her again, but I did. And for a thousand years, I have felt her absence, I have felt the weight of the choice. But I had to give her up in order to protect her. It was the only way to keep her safe, so that one day, she might live a full life, knowing that I did whatever I could to keep her safe, even if it broke my heart." Evanna told the wolf honestly. She didn't tell her the entire story, but this was all Eva was willing to share. If Hayley were to decide to not give up her baby, Baba Yaga's followers would come for it, just as they had once come for Kyra. It had only been Killian's sacrifice and Eva's magic that had kept them at bay. But it had come with a great cost. But Kyra had been saved from the clutches of the Terrible Mother and her return had been delayed. Until a new hybrid baby would be burn. She would harvest the nexus vorti and break free. But without the sacrifice she would need time to regain her powers.

"I don't want to give up my daughter," Hayley whispered.

Roxane sighed, this was getting nowhere. Eva turned to look at Roxane, and once again a silent conversation passed between them.

"There's one other option. You come with, but you will have to leave New Orleans behind. No contact with the outside world and you will have to do exactly as Roxane says. One wrong move and she will force you to leave your daughter behind," Evanna told the wolf. It was a lie, but they had no time to spare, and until the baby was born, Hayley could stay in hiding and unknowing of the truth.

"Live a life in hiding? But my pack…" Hayley trailed, motioning to the wolves surrounding her.

"This isn't about you, little wolf. This is about the safety of your daughter. Either way, you are coming with me. People are already coming for you and you and your wolves are not match for them," Roxane stated.

"Look Hayley, I am well aware of what I am asking you to do, but tell me something, don't you want your daughter to have the best chance at survival? Roxane can and will protect her, no harm will come to her as long as Roxane is with her," Evanna tried one more time before she would resort to magic. She wanted Hayley to go willingly, only to make it easier for Roxane to disappear without leaving a single trace. To everyone, it would simply seem that Hayley fled from the wrath of the Originals.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Hayley seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, and how outnumbered she was.

"You always have a choice, you can choose to come willingly or we force you to come along, either way, you will not remain here. Let's just get one thing clear right now, we are giving you the choice, but we're running out of patience. You do not want me as your enemy, Hayley, although you have already wasted what little credence you had with me. I do not like you and I have no regard for you whatsoever. But, mother to mother, I want to give you the decency of choosing to save your daughter and to give her a life that he deserves. So, what will it be?" Eva asked once more, knowing that this time, Hayley would comply.

"I'll go with you," Hayley whispered, defeated.

"This is going to be fun," Roxane commented dryly as Hayley turned to get her bearings.

"I don't envy you, Rox," Eva said, watching Hayley's retreating form.

"I'd rather take care of the little wolf than take up your assignment. Reweaving the fabric of the Other Side and bringing people back from the dead without dying myself is a challenge even I wouldn't accept. Then again, I do not have your powers. Just be careful and remember, you only have one chance to do it right. No second chances will be given once you have succeeded, so if there's anyone else you might need, then is the time for it." Roxane left the words hanging in the air, knowing that Eva understood their implication.

"Time to get going," Roxane said when Hayley walked out of the house, a bag in hand.

Eva pulled the witch in for a hug.

"Take care, Rox. I love you."

"I love you, too, Eva. Until we meet again." Rox slowly stepped back from the woman's embrace, a small smile touched her lips.

"May the moon alight your path," Evanna whispered.

"And may the stars watch over you," Roxane replied before turning away, Hayley in tow.

As Evanna made her way back to the abattoir, she could feel the turmoil in her head. Rox' words still rang in her ears, she knew what she needed to do, but it would be difficult. And how was she supposed to explain everything to her siblings? They were probably already bursting with questions. Why o why had she only shared the existence of Roxane with Kol? She was still saddened by his death, although she would bring him back. And then of course, there was the little problem of the Travelers that were waiting in Mystic Falls. If they were using the triangle for their own ends, she knew that there was a possibility that she would have to face _him _again. She wasn't sure whether she was ready for that. But she had no choice. For Kyra, she would die a hundred times over if it meant that one day, her little girl could finally have the life she deserved, the life that had been denied to her for all these centuries. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost passed by the abattoir, but that was without taking Niklaus' impatience in account.

"Eva?" His tone was anger mixed with worry.

Eva's head shot up and she relinquished all thoughts of Kyra and Markos. Time to face the music.

"Let me explain, please," she said while holding up her hands, trying to keep her brother from tearing into something.

Her brother gave her an expectant looking, but held back other words, giving her the chance to explain. Eva was surprised by her brother's self-control, perhaps he had learnt some patience after all. Or maybe it was just that he finally realised the futility of his anger and impatience when dealing with her. Eva had been the only one to never give him the time of the day when he was acting like a petulant child. Evanna looked at her family members before quickly explaining Roxane.

"Many years ago, I found myself in a very bad situation, practically life and death, and she helped me out. She's been by my side for many years and to me, she's family. I know I kept her from you, but there are reasons for that, that I cannot explain just yet. Roxane has aided me in my quest to understand who I am and where my powers come from. You heard the legend, you know where my powers come from and although it might not be entirely clear, I hope that you understand the gravity of my predicament. I'm not asking you to trust her, or to see her as family, but I am asking you to trust me. To believe me when I say that she would never do anything to jeopardise my family or my life."

Rebekah was the first to move, she hugged her sister.

"I trust you, always and forever, Eva. Never doubt that," she whispered to her baby sister.

"I believe you, Eva. I'm by your side," Elijah said while reaching out for his sister's hand. He gave it a small squeeze.

Evanna looked at her remaining brother, catching his eyes. She gave him a small smile.

"Always and forever, right?" Niklaus shrugged half-heartedly.


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the delay, I'm still having exams, so I had been busy studying. I want to thank you for the positive reviews, it has pushed me to write, I just needed some time.

I hope it was worth it, and thanks for checking it out this story.

I hope you guys like it :)

* * *

The storm had stopped, the moment was gone. I stepped away from Elijah. "Come on, Beks should be arriving any moment now." I smiled at the thought, I was finally going to be able to talk to my sister again. It had been too long. Elijah was already starting to make his way towards the house, but I remained standing. Something was wrong. It had begun again. "Elijah." I whispered. He turned around and called out, but his words were drowned out by the voices in my head.

I put my face in my hands, hoping to quiet the voices, but it was useless. I closed my eyes and let the voices guide me. Images flashed through my mind. Blood, statues, floods. Cities rising, cities falling. Caves, water, storms. Shipwrecks, ruins, fires. Snakes, wolves, birds. Screams and laughter. Earth being ripped apart. A rock, broken in two. Sapphire, amethyst. Nightshades, oak tree. Beating heart out of its chest. Image after image. A myriad of voices, whispering to me in a thousand different tongues. And then silence, blessed silence. A full moon in a black sky, blood falling from above, the earth was red, saturated with blood. There I stood, amidst a storm of death. My hands were dripping with blood. A darkness had awoken. I screamed.

"Evanna?" Elijah's voice was barely above a whisper. I blinked, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. Coming back from a vision was anything but fun. I tried to calm myself, tried to get a grip on everything. I reached out, needing to anchor myself back to reality. Elijah's hand found mine. He squeezed it gently and pulled me closer. Nik was there too, my scream must have brought him here. I felt someone put something over my shoulders. I hadn't realised I'd been shivering until then. I let go of Elijah's hand and pulled the jacket on. It was Nik's. I breathed in the familiar scent. I closed my eyes and let my mind take me back home.

"Evanna?" This time it was Nik's voice, asking the same question as Elijah had. What had I seen? I opened my eyes and looked at my brothers. My mind was already shifting through everything. "There's a war coming." I said quietly. I didn't see the future as it would play out. I got images, that at first seem completely unrelated and random. But then there are the voices, they are the key to the puzzle. Some connections were easily made. Like the war that was going to break out. I hadn't yet figured out who was going to partake in it. It was going to big, that much I knew. Usually, it never took me this long to figure it out, but this vision proved to be difficult. There had been a lot more images than usual. And I could still remember all those voices, all those different languages. Languages long forgotten.

"We'll handle it. Like we always do." Nik said reassuringly. I shook my head. "Not this time, Nik. It's bigger. This war has been in the making for thousands of years. It predates time." I bit my lip, trying to put the pieces together. "What are we supposed to do, then?" Elijah asked. I shook my head. "I don't know. It's unclear. It's all so jumbled up." I started massaging my temples, hoping the headache would subside and clear up the fog that was messing with my reasoning. Elijah put his hands on my shoulders. "Eva, it's okay, we'll figure it out. Together." I looked at Elijah and at Nik. He nodded in agreement. "It's not okay. This is important 'Lijah. The answer just keeps slipping out of my grasp. One moment it's right there and the next it's gone. I just can't seem to solve this puzzle." I was getting frustrated and angry. My headache wasn't subsiding.

The images weren't all catalogued yet, some of them kept swimming through my thoughts. It was all some big mess and it needed to get organised so I could figure out what the hell we were dealing with. I felt the pieces drifting away, it was of no use. The harder I tried, the less I got. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck. "Eva, we'll get this sorted out." Nik said on a soothing tone. But I didn't listen. I was stubborn and I was used to getting my way. So, I kept going. Whenever I get upset or angry about something, my emotions would spike my magic. And that usually resulted in a storm or an earthquake. As was the case right now. "Evanna, please, calm yourself." Elijah ordered. Still, I ignored him, trying to make sense of the floating images in my head.

"Well, seems like I've got here just in time. You two idiots are doing a very poor job." A voice I had been wanting to hear ever since I returned said to me. Just like that I let everything slide and ran to my sister. I put a lot more force into it than I had intended and both of us went down. Beks was laughing and I joined. "I've never been so happy to be tackled in my entire life." Rebekah said as she hugged me tight. Eventually we got up, but I remained in her embrace a few moments longer. When we finally did pull apart, I saw a tear fall from her eye. "I missed you so much, you know that?" "Likewise. You look beautiful. The twenty-first century suits you." She put a hand on my cheek. "Thanks. It's really good to see you, Eva."

"Rebekah." Elijah said from behind me. Beks let go of me and went to hug Elijah. "Hello sister." I turned towards Nik. "We're not going to this, Nik. What's in the past is in the past." I warned my brother. "I was only greeting Rebekah, Eva. Now that we're all here, I believe it may not be a bad idea to get started on your venture." Beks turned to look at me. "You haven't been back for twenty four hours and already you're thinking about cooking up your newest plan?" My sister said with a smile. "I'm going to bring us all together, once again." There was a sparkle in her eyes. "You can do that?" "Take note, brothers, that is how one ought to react when announcing your plan to bring your family back together." "We were only concerned for your wellbeing, Eva." Elijah said. I shrugged it off. "Yeah, well, it's happening either way. We'll be needing…" I trailed off.

Suddenly a piece clicked. "Eva?" Rebekah asked. "Something evil has awoken. An evil that should've remained buried. It's all connected. This war, my death, me being back alive. The Other Side crumbling down. Whatever's going to come, it's going to change the way this game is played." "A war? You've had a vision. It explains the whole storm/earthquake thing." Beks concluded. "What do you propose we do, or what were you planning on doing before your eureka moment?" "We need to talk. All of us. In private." "Sweetheart, you do realise that one, we're surrounded by vampires with excellent hearing, two, not everyone is present, some are in fact dead which will be kind of hard to go around, and three, how do you suggest we do that?"

"I'm glad you ask. I'll be needing candles, one of the daggers and a normal dagger too. A table would come in handy. Some chalk or something. Ametrine, if you have that lying around. If not, emerald or onyx will do just fine. Nightshade, belladonna or mandrake will do, dandelions, basil, wormwood and of course, some sage. An oak twig, too, and I don't suppose we have any ash of the white oak tree lying around?" I was making this up as I went along. I had this idea and was about eighty seven percent sure it was going to work. "I'm afraid not." Nik said. "Never mind it, then. Elijah, would you be so kind as to bring back a bottle of wine from your cellar?"

Both Nik and Beks turned to look at Elijah. Guess they didn't know about Elijah's wine cellar. "Why would you want wine? Is it part of this spell?" Nik asked, a bit confused. "Of course not, I just want a drink, and no offense, but Elijah's got better taste in wine then you do." Nik shook his head. "Alright then, what else do you need?" "Mother's grimoire would be nice, though I'm not sure how much help it would offer. Can you get me some blood too?" I started walking around the courtyard, trying to find the best spot. I decided to do the spell on the left side of the fountain, near the side of the Abattoir.

I never really like this place all that much. There was so much dead in here. I could still feel the remaining energy of all the animals that had died here. Not to speak of the humans and vampires. And that's when an idea occurred to me. I could use this energy to my advantage. "Have any of you stumbled upon some bat's head root?" "You might want to try some of the shops in the French Quarter." Nik said. "Alright. Let's get everything in order. I'll take care of the herbs, then." I went outside to find locate some shops that would most certainly sell the herbs I needed.

The Quarter was buzzing with activity. I could feel the energy, hear the beating hearts, smell their excitement, lust and angst. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time. I walked towards a shop I remembered from when I had last set foot in New Orleans. A jingle announced my arrival. The store hadn't changed too much, but it had commercialised, like all the others. New Orleans had become a real magnet for believers in magic. I made my way through the store, trying to locate the ingredients for my spell. There were few people in the store, looking for a thrill. I was moving towards the two young girls that were looking at the hexes. "Cute." I said. Both girls looked at me. "This bitch from school is making our lives a living hell. It would be fine if she'd just leave us alone, but she just keeps pushing. We want to make her pay." How petty and yet, I understood the need to avenge being wronged. I looked at the hexes. I smiled. "You might want to think bigger. That won't work." I drifted to the store and grabbed some bird bones. I took a Swastika talisman and some lavender. "Here, all you need to do is put the name of the one you want to torment on a piece of paper, put these items in a small hex bag and give it to them. Then light a candle and burn the piece of paper after sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flame." I infused the talisman with some magic. Both girls looked at me. "How do you know that?"

"How does anyone know anything? You are in the French Quarter after all. Evanna, I did not know you were in town, though the earthquake should've given it away." I turned towards Nandi, the owner of Nandi's Specials. "Nandi, how lovely to see you. I must say, you don't look a year over fifty. Some herbs you've been using." She was supposed to be eighty at least. She was a witch and she also happened to be Valerie LaMarche's daughter. A woman I had little regard for, but luckily, Nandi didn't practise expression. We'd met when I had been in New Orleans before I died. "Herbs won't keep me from dying, Eva. Something you seem to have no problem overcoming. It's been decades and you have not changed one bit."

The girls were making their way to the exit, but I whooshed over there to stop them. They seemed scared. I couldn't blame them. No human would be able to rush over there so fast. But I was no human. "You haven't paid yet, it would be a big mistake to steal from a witch." "We don't want the hex after all. We have to go." For a moment, I considered to have some fun with them, but I had other things I needed to take care of. "Of course. Well, why don't you go then and forget what just happened here, would you?" I put some compulsion in it, so they wouldn't be able to recall it, though I doubted anyone would believe them. Still, one could never be too careful. I moved out of the way and let them leave.

"Not that it is not good to see you, but I am a bit on a tight schedule. I need Ametrine and mastic." "Those aren't items one has just lying around. What are you planning on doing?" Nandi asked as she started shuffling through the store. "I have need of the Original family. All of them." "You're going to summon the dead." She was a smart witch, I'd give her that. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, from what I've gathered, it has been quite the rage these days. Papa Tundé, Celeste, Genevieve." She handed me the stone. "The Harvest Ritual, as you may know, was highjacked, yet it wasn't anything too unnatural." I knew Nandi had an aversion towards crude methods. Her mother had used expression and Nandi had been rather repulsed by it. "I'll do whatever it takes to get the Mikaelsons back. Do you have any bat's head root in this shop of yours?"

"That's some dangerous magic you intend to pull off, Eva. Don't let it take control over you." Nandi warned as she went to the back to retrieve my mastic. A jingle announced another visitor. "Sophie Deveraux." Nandi greeted as she came back with my mastic and my bat's head root. "Nandi, I need your help." Sophie regarded me. "Don't mind me, I'm just about to leave. You'll have to ask Elijah to settle the bill. I'm out of money." Nandi handed me my items hesitantly.

"Be careful, Evanna. The Mikaelsons aren't some petty vampires you can fool." I smiled. She didn't know that I was a Mikaelson. Of course, that had been one of the best guarded secrets in the world. "I'll be fine. Thanks for the help and take care of yourself." I walked out of the shop.

"There you are, I was wondering whether you got lost. Did you find everything you needed?" Nik asked as I returned to the Abattoir. "Yeah. Where's Elijah?" Beks was there, standing by a table with candles. "Not back yet." "Well, we can already start the preparations." I put my items on the table and picked the piece of chalk. I drew a pentagram on the floor, infusing it with some magic. I grabbed the normal dagger and pierced my skin with it. I let some of the drops fall on the pentagram. That ought to keep to work. I hoped.

"Here." Beks handed me a bloodbag. She'd put a pink straw into it. I smiled at her. The three of us sat in silence for a moment, waiting for Elijah to come back. "We have a problem." Elijah said as he ran back in. His tie was a bit messed up. The three of us looked up. "Mother's grimoire is gone." Both Nik and Rebekah were outraged. "Don't worry about it. Did you bring the wine?" "Eva, our mother's grimoire, the one that holds the spell she used to create us and a whole lot of other important and powerful spells, is missing."

"Did you bring the wine?" I asked again, a hint of impatience in my voice. "Yes." Elijah said as he handed me the bottle. "Good choice. And stop worrying about the grimoire. There's been a spell on it for about a thousand years. Anyone who attempts to use it without our permission will have some trouble reading it. And lifting the spell requires the blood of the entire Original Family. Since about half of them are dead, I wouldn't worry about that. Plus, Esther already made sure that some spells were illegible to anyone using the grimoire who doesn't share her blood." "Oh." Elijah said as he started fixing his tie.

Now that everyone was here, it was about time to get this thing started. I just needed to test my spell. "Marcel, could you be so kind and get me those candles from the table, please?" I asked as I saw Marcel enter my peripheral field of vision. I watched as he walked over to the table, but was stopped by an invisible wall. I smiled. "Really funny, Eva." Marcel said as he hit the barrier. "I was just seeing whether my spell worked. Nik, could you lend Marcel a hand?" Nik walked over there and wasn't stopped by the barrier. "I guess this means it worked?" Rebekah asked as Nik grabbed the candles. "What worked?" Hayley asked as she walked into the courtyard. "A spell." And suddenly I remembered something Kol had said. "Hayley, would you mind getting me the knife that's lying on the table over there? I'd like to show Rebekah something." Hayley sighed but went to the table and was stopped by the barrier. "I can't reach it." "You don't say. Never mind then." "Something wrong, Eva?" Elijah asked when he saw me stare at Hayley. "Just thinking that Kol may have been right." "Those are two things you don't usually put in the same sentence." Nik remarked as he walked back towards me and gave me the candles. "I'll explain when we're in private." I took the candles from my brother. "Marcel, could you see to it that the abattoir is empty but the four of us?" Marcel looked a bit unsure, but he nodded anyways. "Planning something big, Eva?" "I just don't like spectators, Marcel. I'm counting on you." Marcel nodded and started clearing the people out.

"What about me?" Hayley asked. "You can stay, I guess. Whatever makes you feel comfortable." I shrugged. I honestly didn't care about the girl. I had no reason to, she wasn't family. And she probably wasn't even carrying my niece. I'd have to check that later. Now, I needed to get the wax melting. I grabbed a bowl as not to spill it on the floor. I kept the bowl warm, focussing my energy on it.

"I'll be needing your blood. A couple of drops will do." I announced and without asking further questions, my siblings did that. After adding my blood in the mix, I turned the molten wax back into candles, now infused with Mikaelson blood. "What are you?" Hayley asked. "Didn't your mother tell you that it is rude to ask people what they are?" I said as I put the candles in place. Each one went on a point of the pentagram. I could feel Elijah's eyes on me. "Fine. I'm a witch." I looked at Elijah, my eyes conveying 'whether he was pleased no", he smiled at me in approval. "But you drink blood?" Hayley countered. "I also happen to be an immortal." I said as I joined my siblings. "How?" "That is a question I've been asking myself for a thousand years. Now, if you'll…" I trailed, noticing the red headed witched approaching. "Nik, could you get rid of her, please?" I hated Genevieve. Especially after what she'd done to Rebekah. "Five minutes." He said and went to talk to her.

"Why is she still alive?" Rebekah inquired. "He needed a new plaything, I guess." "But does it have to be her?" I shrugged. I knew that eventually, Nik would find his way back to the blonde vampire who was currently residing in Mystic Falls. "You did ruin that relationship, Rebekah." Elijah said, matter of factly. "I don't regret it, though." "Speaking of ruined relationships…" I hit Elijah, breaking his nose. Hayley gasped and helped Elijah up, but he shrugged her off. "I guess I deserved that." Elijah said as he fixed his nose. I snorted. "Yeah, you did. Too bad she isn't here to give you a peace of her mind." "She'd probably be clawing my eyes out." "She'd have you on the ground, begging for mercy." And then we started laughing. "I should've said goodbye." Elijah said as we sobered up. "Goodbyes are the only perfect things we get."

"I never got how you could stand her." Rebekah said, looking at me. "It was the only one of Elijah's ladyloves I cared about. And one day, you'll understand." "Even after all this time, you still speak in riddles." I smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. Now what is taking so long? His five minutes are up. I'd better go say hi." I said and left to get my other brother.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"What was that all about?" Hayley asked as she, once again, watched how this hateful Evanna walked away. "Just Evanna being herself. I'm actually surprised it has taken her that long." Rebekah answered the wolf. "She's had a lot on her mind." "How is she?" Rebekah was concerned about her sister. "Dead set on bringing us back together." "Has she mentioned Killian? Kyra?" Elijah shook his head. "She hasn't talked about them in centuries, I doubt she'd bring them up now." Rebekah looked as Evanna interrupted Nik and Genevieve. A small smile tugged at her lips. She was so happy to have her sister back. "I'd just hoped, you know, she might've seen them." "She hasn't mentioned anything of that kind."

"Who is she?" Hayley asked, genuinely curious. It was obvious to her that the Mikaelson cared deeply for the girl. They pretty much dropped everything the moment that this Evanna had set foot in this house. "Family." Hayley wanted to know more, but she knew that this was all she was going to get. She'd find out eventually.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nik, Genevieve. So lovely to meet you, but I'm afraid you'll have to go now." Genevieve seemed to be taken aback by my appearance. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met." "Where are my manners? I'm Evanna." I held out my hand. Genevieve hesitantly took it. "What brings you to New Orleans?" "Family matters to which we must now attend." I said with my most innocent smile. "I had plans with Klaus." "Plans we'll unfortunately have to cancel, love. It's what I've been trying to explain for the past five minutes." "You still haven't told me why, nor have you told me why Rebekah is back in town. I thought she was forbidden to return again." "Rebekah is back because I asked her to come back. The rest is none of your business. Now I suggest you leave before I make you." I didn't like the witch' disdain when she spoke of my sister. I was getting agitated. I needed to know what was going on with the Other Side and whether my brothers were alright. "I'd love to see you try." Genevieve said, getting ready to strike. "Genevieve, you should really leave." "You're taking her side?" "Always." Klaus said with a smile. It was clear that Genevieve was nothing more than a plaything and I think Genevieve only just noticed that. "I see. Don't bother to call." And Genevieve walked away.

We all went to stand inside the pentagram. The candles flickered to life. I took the iron bowl. I lighted a match to burn the sage and other herbs I'd gathered. Then I dropped them in the bowl in which I'd already put the Ametrine. I took the athame. Nik and Elijah were both on my sides, Rebekah was across from me. "Do we need to do anything?" Rebekah asked. "I'll need some blood again." Rebekah handed me her hand. I slid the knife across her palm and did the same with my brother. During the drawing of blood, I started chanting.

"_Sanguinem sanguine, vocare te_

_Sanguinem sanguine, revertimini_

_Tenetur per sanguinem, _

_Sanguis est fatum, _

_Sanguis est immolare,_

_Sanguis potestas est,_

_Sanguinem sanguine, vocare te_

_Sanguinem sanguine, revertimini_

_Sanguis est in aeternum."_

A breeze went through the courtyard. I felt the magic flow through my blood, calling out to my brothers, asking them to come back here.

"Kol? Finn?" Rebekah whispered. I opened my eyes and smiled. "I'll be damned." Kol said. "Language, Kol." Both Finn and Elijah said at the same time. I laughed. "You did it." Nik said, surprised. "Don't shout it from the roof yet, Nik. We're only ghosts. In order to bring us back, our dear little sister will have to come up with something else." Kol said. "We have a lot to talk about." Finn said. We all nodded. This was going to be a very long night. But at least they had some excellent wine to get through the night. And maybe not everyone was corporeal, they were finally together again. For the first time in nine hundred years.

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So, what did you think?

Hope you guys liked it and thanks for reading.

I'm thinking about maybe adding flashbacks, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to tell me :)


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

So, my exams are finally over, yay :) I have one week off, before my classes start again, so I'll have some extra time on my hands. Hopefully, I'll now be able to upload once a week. I won't make any promises, but I'll try my hardest.

Thanks for reading and I hope you guys like it

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**1076 – Ireland**

I watched as the man looked at me in terror. I smiled, relishing in his fear. I was his worst nightmare. Then I proceeded invading the man's mind, letting his fear come over me. He was scared, scared to die. I saw his life pass before my eyes. Brendan, that was his name. He was a farmer, had a wife and kids. Probably a genuinely nice guy from what I could gather. But I didn't care. I wanted to make him feel as miserable as I was feeling. I could sense his wonder, his fear and his regrets. He was asking himself why I was doing this. He pleaded me to stop, to spare his life. I shook my head. He was going to die, so I forced him to acknowledge his faith. "Please, don't do this." He begged. I never got a chance to beg. I never got a chance to acknowledge my faith. He should be grateful. This Brendan got more than I was ever given. Enough playing around. I bit him. The last thing that went through his mind before his life left him was regret. He wouldn't get to say goodbye. I knew how that felt. I never go to say goodbye, either.

And then it was over. I drained him of his blood and lighted his body on fire with my magic. His family would never know. I wiped my mouth from the blood and looked around. This place was nice. Green. Then I noticed I wasn't alone. I turned to face the stranger. Red hair, blue eyes. She looked pretty. I smiled at her. "Can I help you?" "You're hunting in my territory." The redhead snarled. Her territory? I raised my brow in question. She was a vampire, like my siblings. I didn't respond, I just observed her. I hadn't met another vampire. I wondered whether she was created. "You need to leave." The girl commanded. "I quite like it here." I said, waiting for her reaction. She attacked me and I let her. The moment her hand made contact with my neck, I knew what I needed to know. She was sired, by my brother. They could pass it down. Finn had given her his blood, then he had killed her. In order to become a vampire she had to feed from a human. Sage. Sage had begged my brother to turn her, even though he'd believed it was wrong. My brother had obviously found someone to spend his eternity with. He deserved it. I'd learnt enough. I didn't need to know about their intimacy. I pushed her off.

"If you don't leave, I'll have to kill you." "Don't be rude, Sage." She attacked me again. "How do you know my name?" This girl needed to learn some manners. I focused my mind and willed her blood to boil. She stopped dead in her tracks and screamed in agony. "Like I said, don't be rude." "Please, stop." She managed to say. I had to admire her strength. I did. The girl looked at me in disbelief. "How?" But before I could answer that Finn joined in.

"Evanna?" I turned to look at my oldest brother. "Long time no see, brother." He just stared at me. I couldn't blame him. By all means, I ought to be dead by now. "What happened to you?" Shock was evident in his tone. "I don't know. One day I woke up like this." "What about Killian?" I shook my head. "He's dead." My voice void of emotion. Finn walked up to me and pulled me in for a hug. "I'm sorry you became like this. It was not the faith I wished for you." I leaned into his embrace, forcing my emotions to remain in check. After a couple of moments he let go.

"Where's Mikael?" "I don't know. I took off after I became like this." "Did he do this to you?" "No. Finn, I'm not like you, I'm not a vampire. I still have my powers. I'm still in touch with my magic." I blurted out the truth. "Do the others know?" "I haven't seen them yet." Finn nodded. "This is Sage, but I take you already know everything about her." "I'm sorry about attacking you, I didn't know who you were." Sage said, apologising. I knew she meant it. "It's okay. I'm Evanna. From what I've gathered you have a certain idea about who I am." She smiled at me, a genuine smile. I looked from Sage to Finn and back and Sage. They seemed happy. Like I had once been. "Would you like to stay, Eva?" Finn offered. I thought it over. Maybe a vacation wouldn't be such a bad idea. Ireland seemed like a lovely place. "A little while won't hurt."

**Present day – New Orleans**

"How about we start with a big 'I told you so.' Did you ever think that I may have had a reason to disrupt your search for the damn cure? Or how about the fact that you were all working together with my killers? You went to find the cure with the people responsible for the death of your beloved brother. All for the sake of rekindling old flames and whatnot. Or how about..." I tuned out of Kol's rambling. I knew he had a lot of grievances, but I'd heard them all before. Instead I poured myself a glass of wine and let my siblings argue. The only way we would be able to move forward was to put all our cards on the table. I agreed with Kol about the I told you so. Out of all my siblings, Kol was the only one who knew the truth about the past and about Caroline and Katerina. He knew the danger that Silas posed and the risks that came with the cure. But of course, like always, the others had been too damn stubborn for their own good. It was a quality we all shared. When my glass was empty, I decided that for now, it would do.

"Enough." I didn't raise my voice, but there was no need for it. Everybody quieted down. "A lot has happened over the past thousand years and we all have our faults. But, there are some things that we need to discuss first and we can go back to yelling at one another later, perhaps when we're all alive and kicking?" Slowly, each of them nodded. "This conversation isn't over. But, Evanna is right. There are other things that need to be discussed." Finn said. I looked at my oldest brother and suddenly realised that someone was missing.

"Where's Sage?" I asked, looking around, hoping to spot the redhead. "I don't know." I heard the worry in Finn's voice. I knew he hated being separated from her. As far as affection and love went, Sage meant everything to him. She'd made him feel less of a monster. Sage had shown him an alternative to the life he was leading. She'd shown him how to truly live. "She'll turn up." I said reassuringly, though I wasn't convinced, and neither was Finn. "I'm sure you'll run into her soon." Kol said while patting Finn on the back. We both knew very well that it might be weeks before they encountered each other again. "Can't you just call her or something? Or plan a date or agree on a meeting spot?" Nik proposed, oblivious to the truth. "Why didn't we think of that?" Kol's tone was dripping with sarcasm. "You think the Other Side is some paradise? All the dead gathered around a merry campfire, reminiscing about being alive?" Finn spit out. "I expected that there would be some disagreement and the occasional fight, but something along those lines. Something nice." I laughed at Nik's idea. "It's nice alright, if you're into flying solo. The Other Side is like this waste land. It's a mirror of this world and every now and then you can catch glimpses of the living. Sometimes it's for a couple of hours, other times it's merely a moment before it's gone. You can walk around for days, weeks, before running into another lost soul. It's lonely and depressing as hell. And you can't escape. You're stuck, wandering around, hoping to find someone who shares your faith. You're on the outside looking in, watching, listening. It's hell." "And now it's falling apart." Finn said. "Evanna said as much. Have you figured out anything more?" Elijah asked. "It's destabilised. Travelers." Kol informed. "Markos?" I asked and Kol nodded. "Still, it wouldn't explain everything. The anchor's still alive, as long as she is, so ought the Other Side." I nodded. "You're right. The fluctuations, the vortex, it can't be caused by them. Travelers don't have that kind of power." "I'm lost here." Rebekah said. I hadn't realised that the others had dropped out of the conversation, leaving me and Kol bouncing theories to one another. Looking at my siblings I realised that the others had also trouble grasping what Kol and I had been talking about.

"How much do you actually know about Qetsiyah?" I asked my siblings. "Only that she created an immortality spell and a cure for Silas." Rebekah said. "Qetsiyah is probably one of the most powerful witches to have ever walked this earth. She's also a tad bit crazy, but I have the highest respect for her. Qetsiyah didn't just create an immortality spell. She created the Other Side, or as I like to call it Supernatural Purgatory, in order to keep Silas from reuniting with his true love, Amara, in the Afterlife. A spell for creating the Other Side would need a powerhouse. She was able to create an entirely different realm, especially designed for dead supernatural beings, keeping them apart from the human afterlife. You can't just create something out of thin air. So, Qetsiyah needed to anchor her spell to this world. She found nothing better than to use the newly immortalised Amara. It's a faith worse than death. For two thousand years, every dead supernatural had to past through Amara to get to the Other Side. It hurts. Quite recently, Amara became mortal again and Qetsiyah needed a new anchor. The Mystic Falls gang thought nothing better than to ask Qetsiyah to bring their departed Bennett witch back as the anchor. Bonnie is now neither alive, nor dead. A switch like that, especially since it was performed by Qetsiyah, shouldn't cause any disturbance to the Other Side. Everybody got that?"

"One question, this Qetsiyah, is she alive?" Elijah asked. "No. She did come back briefly, ensuring her revenge on Silas and then killed herself." "Did someone bring her back?" "Qetsiyah did that herself. Bonnie dropped the veil, using the expression triangle in order to do so. Qetsiyah just walked through and came back to the land of the living." Kol said. "She can just do that?" Nik asked in disbelief. "She's a rock star. I doubt there's something she can't do. Besides, she created the Other Side, she can bend the rules however she wishes. I'm sure she's built in a safety net or something." "Why not contact this Qetsiyah, then?" Finn proposed. Kol and I exchanged a look. "She's extremely unpredictable and unreliable. Everything she has done has been to ensure that Silas and Amara remain separated through eternity." "And she's crazy, which makes her dangerous. Qetsiyah won't help us either, unless it's by her own choice and her own rules. Calling on her would be a bad idea. And if she wanted to help, she would've shown up already." I had to agree with Kol. "Alright. Now, what about these Travelers?" Elijah asked.

"Travelers are a cursed sub-culture of witches." Kol explained. "They are witches?" "Sort of. Witches are supposed to adhere to the Rede. They use their powers according to the laws of nature. Qetsiyah turned away from the Rede by creating the immortality spell. It went against what witches stood for. Traditional, conventional witches believe that the balance of nature should be kept. Travelers did not. They wanted to use their powers to do great things. Travelers were all for pure, unchecked, raw, powerful magic. After the whole debacle with Silas and Qetsiyah, there was a schism between those adhered to the Rede and those that didn't, even bigger than before. The conventional witches feared the powers of the Travelers and thus cursed them, with the help of the Spirits. The Spirits are the dead witches that can help their fellow living relatives out when they feel like it. It became impossible for Travelers to practice traditional forms of witchcraft and for them to gather as a tribe. They found a different way of practising magic through the use of passengers. They could take over another person's body and gather without witches noticing." "Does that make mother a Traveler?" I shook my head. "In order to become a Traveler you need to be born as one. Just because you don't adhere to the Rede you don't automatically become a Traveler. Travelers are cursed witches, unable to perform traditional magic. Esther was just an unconventional, renegade witch, still able to perform traditional magic."

"How come you two know so much about this?" Nik asked. "I've always had a soft spot for witches, brother. Unlike you, I actually like to get to know them and their secrets. I met some Travelers along the way. Never liked them, but I did learn some things about their lore." Kol said with a smile. It was no secret that he was drawn to witches. He had a respect for the powerful ones and would never cross a witch that could take him down. "I've been trying to find out what happened to me, I've met a lot of different people in my life. I even had a friend who was a Traveler. She told me everything I needed to know about Travelers and their organisation."

"There's one thing that's not clear to me. Who is Markos?" Elijah asked. "He's like the second most powerful Traveler, after Qetsiyah. But then Qetsiyah was banished from the group because she was a bit of an overachiever. That's why the Bennett witches aren't cursed. Her line continued on, producing powerful witches." "Is he alive?" Rebekah asked. I looked at Kol. "Don't look at me sister, I never met the guy." "As far as I know, he died in the sixth century." "Then he can't possibly be alive, right?" Rebekah concluded. "Who knows, Beks. Markos had a whole array of tricks, you should be surprised what he is capable of." Kol warned.

"Have you met him?" Nik asked. "Nik, he died in the sixth century, that's like four hundred years before I was even born. So no, I didn't meet the guy. I only heard stories about him." I was lying, but I hoped my siblings wouldn't be able to tell. I had performed some time travelling spells that hadn't always worked out as planned. But that wasn't something my siblings should know about.

"Now, to the main point of business. How are you planning on bringing us back, sister?" Kol turned the conversation away, giving me a knowing look. "I don't know." I said truthfully. "I was hoping you might have some suggestions." "Mother also has a resurrection spell in her grimoire." Finn said. Elijah nodded in agreement. "Yes, but that requires a nexus vorti. And Eva will be needing two of them in order to bring both of you back." "Three, I'm not leaving Sage there." Rebekah suppressed a sigh at that. "What is it with my brothers and poor taste in women? Finn and his tawdry lady friend, Elijah and that bitch of a Petrova, Nik and his annoying blonde obsession and Kol and witches." "Have you ever considered, Beks, that maybe you're the problem? Eva never seemed to have much of a problem with our choices in woman." Kol countered. Rebekah wanted to say something, but Nik cut her off. "Sister, not now. We have important business to discuss. What is a nexus vorti?" "It's an extremely rare occurrence." Kol explained.

And that was the big problem of the spell. For the time being, there was only one I could think of, the birth of the miracle baby. And that was still a couple of months away. "What about the Bennett witch? She has brought the Gilbert boy back from the dead, twice. And Elena, if I recall correctly." Kol offered. "It might be worth checking it out." I had been planning on visiting Mystic Falls, anyways. A plan was starting to form in my mind.

"This might be premature, but what exactly is going to happen when we're all alive and together again?" Rebekah inquired. "Are we all going to pretend like nothing happened? As if Nik didn't keep us in coffins once in a while. Or that we are having a possible new addition to our family? And my darling Eva, had my ears deceived me or had you actually suggested that I was right?" Kol grinned. "Well, Kol, why don't you elaborate on your theory." I motioned for him to explain. "Have you ever considered that the little miracle baby may not be yours?" "I slept with the girl, brother. Who else could be the father? Besides, the witches confirmed it." It was clear that Nik wasn't having this discussion. Kol wouldn't be Kol if he wasn't annoyingly persistent. "The witches confirmed that the father was a hybrid. Everyone automatically assumed it was yours." "What are you suggestion, brother?" Elijah asked, putting a hand on Nik's shoulder, as if to keep him from jumping up and going all berserk. "There is another hybrid, Tyler Lockwood. And what if I were to tell you that I may have caught a glimpse of them, together, enjoying certain activities one likes to perform naked." "Are you saying that the little wolf tricked us?" It was a good thing both Elijah and Rebekah held Nik in his seat. "There's only one way to find out." Kol said, looking at me. "I'll perform the spell tomorrow. But Nik, you might want to consider it a possibility. Marcel couldn't cross the boundary I'd drawn from my blood. The spell that I cast was made to let those who shared my blood in. It may be an error, but I am not that sure of it." Nik shook his head, but was a little calmer. He didn't look like he was going to attack anyone anytime soon. "Tyler did try to kill the baby." I nodded. I'd caught a glimpse of that. "It's possible he doesn't know. Whatever the truth is, no harm shall come to Hayley as long as she is with child. I refuse to let an unborn baby pay for the mistakes of her parents. She deserves better." My tone made it obvious that the subject was not up for discussion.

"That is that. I'd like to establish some ground rules for when we are all back in the land of the living." Finn said, answering Rebekah's question. "Everybody is free to come and go as he or she pleases. There will be no threats of daggers looming over our heads. You will not ruin our happiness and you will not dictate our life." Finn continued. Everyone knew fully well that it was mostly intended for Nik. He nodded in agreement. "No tantrums, no scheming against each other. Those who wish to stay here, are free to do so. And we shall all live together peacefully." Elijah added. There was some more discussion on the how and what, but I didn't really follow. Instead, I sketched a rough outline of my plan in my head.

"I have a proposition." Everybody looked at me. "Just hear me out, no interruptions." I said, knowing that there would be some disgruntled family members. "Rebekah and I will head to Mystic Falls. She and I will talk to Bonnie Bennett and figure out what exactly is happening on the Other Side and what is going on with the Travelers. Elijah, you'll search for Esther's grimoire. I also need you to talk to Davina. Try to figure out as much as you possibly can about her resurrection and about the Harvest Ritual. Nik, you'll be using your charm on Genevieve. Get her grimoire, ask her more about the Harvest Ritual and how exactly Celeste managed to bring her back. I'll also need to know more about her particular kind of magic and about Papa Tundé. Ask her whether she knew a witch by the name of Valerie LaMarche and what she knows of expression. I'll need information about the New Orleans coven and how they operate. And I need to figure out a way how to tap into their ancestral magic. Any advantage or extra power source I can use, will hopefully boost my powers." They were silent for a moment, before all nodding. "Fine." They said in unison. I was surprised that they all agreed. No questions asked.

"Alright, Rebekah and I will be leaving tomorrow. Kol, could you get a message to the anchor, telling her to expect us. Make it clear that we are only there to get information, nothing more." Kol nodded. "I can do that, though I fear they might not trust me. Last time Bonnie and I stood face to face, I was trying to kill her. I'll try my best." "That's all I'm asking." We all sat there in silence for a while, each of us lost in thought. There were still a lot of things left unspoken. Even after a thousand years, after dying, I still couldn't tell them the truth. Not out of fear of them hating me, but mostly out of shame and not wanting them to pity me. We were all broken, and each of us made do with what we had. I loved my siblings and I would gladly lay down my life to save them. I didn't stay with Nik, Elijah and Bekah. I went out on my own, trying to find the truth. I visited them at least once a decade, but I kept an emotional distance. I never lost my humanity, but I kept my switch halfway on. I chose what I felt and my life was a lot easier that way. I'd made peace with what I became, I never pretended to be something I wasn't.

"It's getting early, unless there's anyone who needs to get something out, I suggest we put an end this gathering." Elijah suggested. "Sounds good to me. I need to start looking for Sage, anyway. Take care." "I have to go stalk the anchor. Eva, do your thing." I nodded. "I'll see you all soon. And when you see Sage, tell her I'll get her out of there, too."

I closed my eyes and focused on my magic.

"_Sanguinem sanguini, solvo te"_

I opened my eyes and both Finn and Kol were gone. I felt there loss. For over a year, they had been my companions on the Other Side, even if it had been sporadically and not quite often. But they had been there, with me. They understood. I took the stone out of the bowl and used my magic to turn it into a necklace. "You okay?" Bekah asked as I put the necklace around my neck. "It's weird. I'm here and they're still on the Other Side." Rebekah put an arm around me. "You'll get them back." Elijah said reassuringly. "I know." I said as I closed the circle and extinguished the candles. I put a hand on Nik's shoulder and squeezed it. "They'll forgive you." Nik covered my hand with his and looked at me. "I've done terrible things, Eva." "Haven't we all?" I met Nik's eyes. There was some sadness in it. "I'm sorry." Nik said, to no one in particular and walked away. Elijah, Beks and I looked at one another. "Give him some time. It's probably about the baby. He was actually starting to warm up to the idea." Elijah said, looking at Nik's retreating figure. "It wouldn't have redeemed him, Elijah. He'd still be the same. The only thing we would've seen was the gentler side of Nik, we lost so many centuries ago. He wouldn't have magically changed. He'd still be the broken, cruel, arrogant, Klaus he has become." "You don't believe that he can be redeemed?" Elijah asked. "I honestly have no idea. It's been a thousand years. Who knows how much is left of who we once were? We can't erase the things we done, we can only learn to live with them. And how do we live, given what we know?" I asked, more to myself than to the others. "That's why you want to bring us all back together, isn't it?" Rebekah asked. I turned to look at her. "We're a family. Maybe it's not a bad idea to go back to where we started. Besides, with the battle that is coming, we're going to have to stand united." "Always and forever." Rebekah said. I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Always and forever."

**1101 – Eastern Europe**

"So this is what you do for fun?" I was leaning against a doorframe, staring at my brother who had just drained the life out of some poor man. Kol looked at me in surprise. "Eva?" "Been having the time of your life?" I walked up to him and hugged him tight. "How?" Kol whispered as he pulled me close. "Wish I knew. I woke up like this." "Mikael didn't do this, did he?" I shook my head. "It wasn't him. I honestly have no idea how it happened." "How long have you been like this?" Kol said as he looked me up and down. "About a century. I met Finn a couple of decades ago. He's found himself a girl. She's awesome. I left them a couple of years ago. Three's company. And I was getting fed up with Finn's moral code. '_You can't just go on a killing spree whenever you feel like it Eva, you can't just kill anyone you want. There are consequences to your actions. '_" Kol chuckled. "Who would've thought my little sister would turn out to be some vicious bloodsucking angel like her dear old brother?" "At least I clean up after myself." I lit the body of the dead man on fire. Kol yelped in surprise. Then he looked at me with wide eyes. "You still have access to your magic?" There was a bit of envy in his tone. I didn't blame him. He'd been the only one of my siblings to ever show an interest and aptitude in magic. Growing up, we'd played together with our magic, but mine had always been more powerful. It was what he missed most on becoming a vampire. "I'm not like you. I have searched for decades, trying to find out what I am. But so far, I haven't found anything. I can't die, either. I need blood, but I can walk in the sun, touch verbena, I don't age. I'm immortal, like you, but I'm still a witch." "How about you go for, witch first, immortal second." I smiled at that. "I like that. Come on, I'm starving."

**Present Day - Mystic Falls **

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?" Kol asked. Bonnie didn't react. "I'm not going anywhere. I have all the time in the world." Kol walked up and down the room. He'd been here for hours. First, he had to wait until she woke up. Then, when she'd finally woken up, she'd been in a really bad mood. Kol didn't blame her. It must suck to wake up by the pain of a dead supernatural passing through. He felt sorry for the girl. Of course, when playing with life and dead, there are always consequences. And he'd warned her. "If only you and your friends had listened to me. Then neither one of us would be finding ourselves in this predicament. Fortunately for me, I'll be getting out of mine soon, you on the other hand, well, forever is a long time. But, you listen to what I have to say and I might know someone who could help you out." It was a desperate attempt, but his sister might be able to help Bonnie out. After all, Evanna was pretty damn powerful. It scared him sometimes to know what she was able to accomplish. When Evanna Mikaelson wanted something, she got it. Finally, Bonnie looked at him. "That got your attention?" Kol grinned. "You know someone who can stop the pain?" "That I can't promise. She's been around for quite some time, she's picked up a few things." Kol didn't want to give too much away. He didn't know for sure that Eva would be able to help Bonnie. Bonnie was considering his offer. After five minutes of thinking it through, she slowly nodded in agreement. "Fine, what do you want?" "My sister is coming to Mystic Falls. She has some questions she needs to ask you, concerning Travelers and the Other Side. She'll probably arrive the day after tomorrow." "How do you know that? Did they send you?" Kol was enjoying this. "Yes, I was asked to inform you that they would be coming. I also needed to emphasise that they mean you no harm. They just want answers." "Rebekah isn't coming alone?" "She's bringing a friend. My brothers will remain in New Orleans, they have some things they need to do over there." Bonnie nodded. "Just give me some time to decide."

Kol came back in the morning. He figured that Bonnie had informed her friends. They would probably be setting up a trap. Unfortunately for the Mystic Falls Gang, they had no idea who they were up against. Evanna loved to play games and they were no match for his two sisters. "I'll meet them in the Mystic Grill, the day after tomorrow. Let's say around five?" Kol nodded. "I'll tell the others. Take care, Bonnie Bennett."

**Present Day – New Orleans **

I had been lying in bed for over an hour and I just couldn't fall asleep. After all, it had been five years since I last lay down and closed my eyes. The Other Side doesn't let you sleep. Or it doesn't make you feel tired. I got up and made my way towards my sister's room. "Beks?" I whispered. "Can't sleep?" "Nope." I said as I made my way towards her bed. "Just like the old days." Rebekah said as I climbed in bed next to her. "Do you think Nik is going to be okay?" I asked in a small voice. "Eventually, yes." I nodded. "I missed you." "I missed you, too, Eva. Now get some sleep. We're have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow." Rebekah said, using her big sister voice. "Can you tell me a story?" Rebekah smiled but indulged me nonetheless. "Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom…" It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. For the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully, knowing that my big sister was watching over me.


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I'm so terribly sorry for the delay. But it's an extra long chapter to make up for it :)

College started again and I already have assignments piling up, but I'll do my best. It just takes time to get everything written down, especcially because of the length of my chapters. If you don't mind, I might be posting some smaller chapters and then I might hopefully update more on time. (can't make any promises)

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy

* * *

**New Orleans – Present day**

I woke up feeling disoriented. It took me a couple of moments to realise that I was in New Orleans, and that I was alive. I was lying in Rebekah's bed, but my sister wasn't there. I focused on my hearing and could hear noise coming from the kitchen. I got out of the bed and made my way toward the kitchen. "Good morning." Nik said, in an unusually happy mood. "Are you making pancakes?" I asked in disbelief as I watched Nik shuffle around the kitchen. "Thought I'd give it a try." "Don't mind Nik, he's in denial." Rebekah said as she handed me a cup of coffee. "Denial?" I asked, looking at Rebekah. '_The baby'_ she mouthed. "I'm not in denial, Rebekah, I'm enjoying my newfound freedom." Nik defended himself. "Whatever you say, brother." Elijah said as he walked into the kitchen. Hayley filed in after him.

"Elijah said that you could perform a spell to protect my baby, would you?" Hayley asked. I looked at Elijah. He just motioned for me to go with it. "Sure. I'll just be needing some of your blood." Hayley looked at Elijah for reassurance. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at that. Desperate much? For crying out loud, the little wolf would never be good enough for Elijah. Besides, she was only a distraction for Elijah. Elijah nodded at her and Hayley walked up to me. "Do what you've got to do." That was easy. I took a knife and sliced it across her palm. I covered her hand with mine and called on my magic. Through Hayley's blood I was able to figure out the baby's lineage. And it wasn't from the Mikaelson clan. I wondered whether Hayley was aware of the truth. My curiosity was awakened, so I decided to read the girl's mind. I closed my eyes and slipped into her mind. A couple of minutes later, I pulled back. "All done." I smiled sweetly at her. "Just like that?" Hayley asked in disbelief. "I am a very capable witch, Hayley. I know perfectly well what I am doing." I even went through the trouble of closing her wound. "Thank you." It was obviously very difficult for Hayley to get those words out. "My pleasure." I said with a big grin.

I went to sit on the counter, grabbing a couple of Nik's pancakes. I took a bite of one of them. "Holy shit, Nik. These are actually delicious." "Of course they are, thanks for the trust." "Anytime." I said with a wink.

"Argh." Bekah shouted as she shut the fridge door. I turned around and saw Kol standing there. "I didn't even say booh." Kol said with disappointment. "Kol?" Bekah asked, raising her hand to see whether he was corporeal. "Booh?" Kol said as Beks hand just went through him. "You're hilarious." "How is this even possible?" Elijah asked, standing next to Rebekah. Everyone looked at me. I bit my lip, trying to figure out what may have gone wrong. I went through my improvised spell. "Oops." I said as I realised what I may have done. "What did you do?" "I may have - sort of - bound you to the Ametrine." "Like permanently?" I shook my head. "It was the phrasing of the spell. I said _Tenetur in sanguinem_, bound by blood. It's not exactly a binding spell, per se. You're just visible to those whose blood was spilled on the stone. I think." "That's a good thing, then, because I would love to know who the baby daddy is." Kol said while leaning against the fridge door. "You were right." I said while keeping an eye on Nik to gauge his reaction. Once the words were out of my mouth, both Elijah and Rebekah did the same. But Nik just ignored it and continued baking pancakes. "Nik, does this means I'll be getting waffles upon my return?" "Kol." Elijah warned. "Weren't you supposed to be hanging out with an anchor?" Nik said as he put some more pancakes on my plate.

"Who are we talking to?" Hayley asked, glancing around the room. "Just our dearly departed brother. You're interrupting a family meeting. Move along, little wolf." There was a lot of hostility in Nik's voice, but I was surprised by the fact that he didn't attack her outright. Looking at my siblings, I realised that so were they. Hayley was taken aback by Klaus' hostility, but she heeded his advice and left. "How did it go with Bonnie?" "She's agreed to a meeting at the Mystic Grill. Bonnie's expecting you around five tomorrow, though I believe it's a trap." I got off the counter to get another cup of coffee. "At least we'll have some fun."

After breakfast, I dragged Elijah out with me to settle the bill at Nandi's Specials. "Are you going to give me one of your cards?" I asked as Elijah and I walked through the French Quarter. "What?" "I'm going shopping with Bekah later. I'll be needing money." I explained. "Don't you have your own account?" "Elijah, I've been dead for the past five years. My assets are all gone. I can just go ahead and compel the salespeople, but that would be so unethical. They could get in trouble." I always knew how to play my cards with my siblings. Elijah was the business man of the family. He had his share of stocks and had a lot of money in several off shore accounts. Elijah took out his wallet and gave me one of his many credit cards. "If it's empty, I might just kill you myself." "Have a little faith." I said before walking into the shop.

"Evanna, back again?" Then Nandi noticed Elijah. "I see you're here to settle the bill. Mr. Mikaelson that will be two thousand and two hundred dollars, if you please." Elijah looked at me in disbelief. "Two thousand two hundred? Did you buy an herbal garden or something?" "I needed some rare items." I defended. Elijah sighed, but paid Nandi nonetheless. "Have you ever used Ametrine before?" I inquired. She might offer an explanation. "I can't say I have, though I've heard that it is very powerful, especially in combination with blood. What happened?" "I may have, accidently, half bound the ghost to the stone. The spirit is still able to come and go as he pleases, but he's visible to other people." Nandi nodded. "This place looks lovely. Is that LaMarche's daughter?" Kol suddenly popped into the store. "I can sense the ghost. There seems to be a connection, but the stone is only the catalyst. It's the blood that ties it all together." "So the stone enhances the effect?" Kol asked. I repeated the question. "It appears so." "Thanks Nandi. What did Sophie want, if I may ask." "She was here to inquire about some strange magic she felt. Any relations to the Deveraux clan, Eva?" I felt Elijah staring at me. "Not that I know of." "You think she may know something about your sudden return, Eva?" Elijah asked. I shrugged. "I doubt it. It wouldn't hurt to ask. It's a good thing she's here." I turned around at the exact moment Sophie Deveraux walked back into the store.

"Elijah." Sophie said in surprise. It was obvious that she'd hoped that the Originals were unaware of the existence of this shop. "Sophie Deveraux, right? I'm Evanna Jones." I said as I held out my hand. Sophie hesitantly shook it. "Nandi mentioned that you felt some magic yesterday. It may have been around the same time of my arrival. Can you tell me some more about it?" I threw in some suggestion. This was one of the perks of being an immortal witch, I could compel witches. "Yeah, it just seemed weird." "Weird how?" I asked, throwing some more compulsion into it. She was a strong witch with a strong personality. "You'll probably think I'm crazy or something, but it felt as if some ancient power had moved heaven and earth to make something happen. To bring goodness and light back in this world. Maybe an angel coming back to save us all from the darkness." She was right it sounded crazy. I heard a chuckle from behind me. Kol was doubled over from laughter. "Our little avenging Angel, coming from heaven. That's a good one." Kol said when he finally recovered from his laughter. "Kol." Elijah warned. "Come on, 'Lijah, it's hilarious. Evanna an angel? A devil is more like it." "I remember you calling me an angel once, so many centuries ago." I said with a smirk. "True, true." Kol agreed.

Sophie and Nandi were obviously confused. "I have a feeling you're a lot closer to the Mikaelson's than you let on, Eva." Nandi observed. "For many centuries now." "What are you?" Sophie asked me. "Have you ever read Oscar Wilde?" I asked. I was getting real tired of that question. Sophie looked at me in question. "What does he has to do with this?" "He was an ass, but a genius ass nonetheless. He once wrote _to define is to limit._" Sophie still didn't get it. "What Eva means to say is that she is, what is it that Kol always says…" Elijah looked at Kol. "Witch first, immortal second." Elijah repeated the same words. "How?" Sophie asked. "I don't know." I said as I walked around the shop, looking for something interesting.

"She's quite something, isn't she?" Nandi said to Elijah. "You have no idea. How did you two meet, if I may ask?" "She killed my mother." Elijah turned to look at me. "What? She was asking for it." The silly woman had it coming. No one used expression without consequences. "Eva, we have talked about this before." "I am what I am, Elijah. I own up to it, maybe it's time you do that too." I hit a sore note with Elijah. I saw the hurt on his face. Way to go, Eva. I walked back towards my brother. "I'm sorry, Elijah." I said sincerely. "So am I." "And now we hug it out." Kol said as he tried and failed to push the two of us together. "Being dead sucks." Kol sighed when he couldn't touch us. "Soon, brother dear, soon." I said. "Let's hope it doesn't kill you in the process, Eva." "I'm immortal, Elijah." But as soon as the words left my mouth, I realised that I did die. Of course, that had been on my own terms, but I couldn't tell the others. They wouldn't understand. And in all honesty, part of me didn't understand either. It had been a spur of the moment kind of thing, I guessed. Or maybe there was a lot more to it than I remembered. The details were a bit fuzzy. "Then what happened five years ago? You taking a vacation on the Other Side? From what I've gathered it's not somewhere one goes voluntarily." I heard the anger and hurt in my brother's voice. I guess losing me had been more of a shock than I originally believed. I thought my siblings would be able to deal with it, I mean it's not like we were constantly together. I spent most of my time searching for answers. I occasionally visited my siblings, but I was more interested in getting my husband and child back, or finding out what had happened to me in the first place. "Can we not talk about it?"

"When, Eva? For a thousand years you have refused to talk about any of this and we went along with it. You lost Killian, you lost Kyra, and we are none the wiser about who did this to you. I love you, Eva and I would do anything in my power to protect you. But, for once in your life, stop lying to us and more importantly, to yourself. You are not okay, you push us all away and at the same time, you want to bring us back together. We'd go to the end of the earth for you, so why won't you tell us what's wrong?" I took a step back. It had been the first time that in many years since I've heard Elijah raise his voice like this. He wasn't angry, it was frustration. I bit my lip. Where was I to start? I knew I had hurt my siblings by not confiding in them, but they didn't need to know the burden that I was carrying. It wasn't their destiny. And yet, at the same time, I wanted to confide in them. I wanted someone to tell me that I wasn't bad, that I could still be redeemed. That everything was going to be okay and that we would get through this. So, I opened my mouth to say something to Elijah, but no words came out. I couldn't get the words over my lips.

Elijah put his arms around me. "It's okay, Eva." He whispered. And that's when I broke down. Five years of loneliness and an even longer time of running came crashing over me. I let Elijah comfort me and tell me that it was going to be okay, when in reality, it was only just beginning. It felt nice. "We'll get through this, Eva." Kol said when I'd finally stopped crying. I took a moment to gather myself, shuffling my humanity switch around and putting it back in its place: half on-half off. Once my emotions were back in check, I turned towards my brothers. "One day, I'll tell you. I promise." And that was all I could give them, a promise that one day, they'd know the truth. For now, they accepted it.

I could see Sophie and Nandi trying to put everything together. "You're a Mikaelson?" Sophie was the first to voice her new findings. "Technically I'm Mikael's daughter. Last names were non-existent in the tenth century. In case you were wondering, I'm the seventh child of Esther. I'm the youngest one still alive, and the second to youngest overall, Henrik was the youngest." "They didn't turn you into a vampire, why?" Sophie asked. "Because I was pregnant at the time. For all Esther's faults, she didn't want to condemn her granddaughter. Alas, faith had other plans." "What happened?" Nandi joined the conversation. "I could tell you, but what's the point? It's not like you'll remember any of this." I was planning on making them forget what had happened. After a thousand years, you learn to be very careful on who you let in on your secrets. I only trusted my family, Sage, Katerina and Caroline. "We're witches and on vervain. You can't compel us. And how did they even managed to keep you a secret for a thousand years?" "Please, I could have you doing my bidding without blinking an eye. I'm an immortal witch, dearie." Sophie took a defensive stance. I grinned at her. "Forget." I said. I didn't need to say anything, the kind of compulsion I used was more about erasing certain things from the mind. It was different than what vampires do. Vampires can compel you to not remember things, but the memory still exists. What I do is erasing the memory completely, there is no possible way for them to remember because they can't recall it ever taking place.

"I need a drink." It was almost one and I was meeting Rebekah and Rousseau's in an hour. The beauty of being an immortal witch is that I didn't need a clock to know the time. I just knew. "Rousseau's?" Elijah suggested. We bid our goodbyes to both witches and made our way to Rousseau's.

I walked in and chose a seat at the bar. Time to meet Nik's newest blonde friend. Elijah sat down next to me. Cami smiled at me and greeted Elijah. "Cami, how have you been?" "Quite alright, what can I get you and your new friend?" Cami's tone implied that she was wondering what kind of supernatural I was, but didn't dare ask it straightaway. "Cami, this is Eva, she's an old friend. Eva, this is Cami." Elijah had already guessed that I didn't need any more information on the girl. "Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." I hadn't heard anything about her, I'd only seen flashes of her and none of them made me like her very much. Like Hayley, Cami was just a replacement for the real thing. "Hi, I can't say the same. So, uhm, what can I get you?" "I'll have a bourbon, please, no ice. And can I get some gumbo?" I hadn't had gumbo since forever. "I'll have the same." Elijah said from the seat next to me.

"I have the feeling you don't like her very much." "And I tried so hard to hide it." I pouted. It was just that moment that Cami put down our drinks. "How's Klaus?" Elijah and I looked at one another. "He's.." Elijah trailed, not knowing what to say. "He's making cupcakes." Rebekah said as she sat down in the vacant seat next to me. "He's baking?" Cami asked in disbelief. "And you're back. I thought he would kill you if you did." Rebekah smiled sweetly at Cami. "I'm still his sister." Her tone implied that she didn't care much for this girl either. "Have you seen Nik? He's making cupcakes with frosting and all. It's hilarious. Now I really wish I was alive, just to taste his cooking." Kol said from behind us. For the second time today, Kol was doubled over in laughter. "Frosting?" Elijah asked, sounding confused. "It's what they put on top of cupcakes." Rebekah explained. "Maybe he's taking the baby thing not so well." Elijah concluded. "Leave him be. It's better than having him go on a killing spree, right? Besides, his pancakes were heavenly this morning. Maybe we can take the cupcakes with us for on the road?" Rebekah nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. Did you get some money?" "Elijah's funding our shopping spree." I heard Elijah groan, knowing fully well that after today, his account would be losing a large amount of money. We ate our gumbo and then Elijah decided to head home to keep an eye on Nik while Rebekah and I went shopping.

"You can put that over there, Joshua." I said as I entered the plantation house. I liked this place a whole lot better than the Abattoir, it didn't have its deadly feel. "I can't remember having this much fun shopping in ages." Rebekah said as she sat down in one of the sofas. "You tell me. Joshua, do you care for a drink?" The baby vampire seemed really nice. From the Other Side, I'd caught flashes of him and knew that he was friends with Davina. He'd seemed like a genuine, stand-up guy. I'd made him a daylight ring, after asking Beks and Elijah for advice on the matter. She'd said that he was loyal and Elijah had mentioned that his friendship with Davina might come in handy. "No thank you. Is there anything else I can do?" Rebekah laughed. "You gave him a ring and now he's willing to serve you for eternity. You didn't even have to say I do." I sent a glare towards my sister before turning to Josh. "It's alright, Josh. You don't owe me anything. I know what it's like to be denied the pleasure of feeling the warmth of the sun on my face." "Thank you very much, Eva. If there is ever anything I can do for you, just let me know." I nodded. "I will do that. Now, go and enjoy your freedom. And if Marcel or Nik askes where you got it, tell them you got it from Evanna. They won't dare harm you." "Thanks again. Rebekah, Eva, enjoy the rest of your night." And Josh sped out of the room.

Rebekah and I enjoyed a comfortable silence. We had shopped until we dropped. And now, here we were. I sighed contentedly. Today had been a relatively good day. "So, when are we leaving?" Rebekah asked after a couple of minutes. "We still have time. Somewhere later tonight? I'd like to say goodbye to the others first." "Alright then. Maybe we should grab our things and head back." I got up from the couch and grabbed everything. "You think Nik made dinner?" "I would be disappointed if he didn't."

When Rebekah and I entered the Abattoir, we were met by a wide array of smells. "Ladies, how was your shopping trip? Did you deplete Elijah's account?" Kol asked as we made our way towards the kitchen. "I hope you didn't." "I told you to have some faith, 'Lijah." I handed him back the credit card. In return he handed me an envelope. "I set up an account for you with your own money. Look at it as a trust fund." "Am I going to get that when I get back?" Kol asked, sounding genuinely curious about it. "We'll just wait and see." Elijah shrugged.

Nik was setting the table. "Dinner will be served in five." Nik announced. "It sure smells great. What did you make?" Rebekah, Elijah and I sat down at the table. "Red beans and rice, one of the original New Orleans recipes." Nik added with a wink. He placed a really large casserole on the table. "Who else is joining us?" Rebekah's question didn't need answering, because Marcel, Davina, Josh and Cami just walked in. Josh waved at me enthusiastically, I smiled back at him. Marcel introduced me to Davina. I could feel her unease. It was clear to me that she didn't really know what to make of me. I noticed Hayley wasn't here and voiced it. "She's at the bayou." Elijah said, not being able to keep his disappointment out his voice. I knew it was because he believed that the baby could redeem Nik, but I still called bullshit on that. What he needed wasn't some baby, but a certain blonde I would hopefully be seeing soon. I'd missed her, it had been so very, very long. "Bon appetite."

There were several conversations going on over dinner. Josh and Davina were chatting away, Cami, Marcel and Nik were talking about Nik's newest transfixion on cooking. Elijah and Rebekah were talking about the plantation house. I joined Bekah and Elijah, trying to convince him to move back there. "I don't like it here. There's so much dead." I pouted. "Why don't we discuss this when you get back." "Fine." The rest of dinner passed this way, peacefully and relaxed, like it was the most normal thing in the world. It made me wish for Kol, Finn, Sage, Katerina and Caroline to be here. It would be a real family dinner. I also wished for my father to be here, but I knew that he was gone and that bringing him back would be a very bad idea.

"Thanks for this fine dinner, brother. It was truly excellent." I could only agree with Elijah wholeheartedly. It had been so good. "There's still dessert." We cleaned the table and Nik took the dessert out. "Beignets. You're spoiling us, Nik." I said as Nik put them on the table. "Only the best for you, Eva." He said while patting me on the head. Cami left after dessert, much to mine and Rebekah's joy. The others stayed for a long time. I had to admit, I had missed Marcel. Not as much as I had missed my siblings, but he had a certain charm. Davina had been rather quiet, but sometimes I could see the passion in her eyes when she spoke with Josh about her love for art. If only she didn't dislike Nik so much, he could actually teach her some things. And Josh, well, he was a good guy and a great dinner guest. He knew how to entertain people. We remained seated for a very long time, it was already way past midnight when Davina made the first signs to leave. I had talked to her about magic for a while, telling her that I would love to work with her once I got back, if she was interested. Davina said that she didn't really know what to do. It was clear that something was troubling her, but I didn't know what it was. I knew she had only recently returned from being sacrificed for the Harvest, but I got over my death fast enough. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to continue using her magic and I got where she was coming from. It was up to her to decide. Josh followed not long after Davina left.

I leaned back in my seat and caught Rebekah's eye. "I guess Beks and I are going to take off, too." I had to make a stop along the road, making our travel time longer than fifteen hours. "You're already leaving?" Marcel asked. "I've got things to do, Marcel. Don't worry, we'll be back." Nik handed me a bag with cupcakes. "You'll be okay, right?" I whispered quietly, not that it mattered, the others heard it anyway. "Don't worry about me, Eva. I've managed myself for the past thousand years, it won't be any different." I wasn't entirely convinced, but I've long given up on trying to change my brother's mind or to have him open up about what was bothering him. We were the same when it came to trust issues and giving a voice to our feelings. Elijah pulled me in for a hug. "Promise me you won't kill anyone, Eva." Of course, that's what Elijah would be concerned with. I didn't have the best track record, I admit, but still, I wasn't a cold blooded killer. At least not anymore. I was trying to mend my ways. I sighed, but promised it nonetheless. "I promise I won't kill anyone." I could still hurt them without the killing, right?

Five minutes later, Rebekah and I were in the car and she had agreed to let me drive. "You do realise that you're going to the bayou right?" "I know, I just need to talk to the little wolf." I pulled up and got out of the car. I asked Bekah to stay there and wait. It was very early in the day, but I felt the eyes of the wolves on me. They didn't attack me, but they wouldn't hesitate if I were to hurt Hayley in any way. I easily located her, she was sitting on the porch of one of the houses. "Evanna?" She sounded confused. "Nik knows." I said as I sat down next to the girl. "You didn't use a spell to protect my baby, did you? It was all to determine whether or not Klaus was the father." "Look at you, putting two and two together."

"What do you want?" Hayley asked when I didn't leave. "Your daughter." She looked at me in shock. "What are you going to do with her?" I felt bad for what I was about to do. "She deserves better. As soon as she is born, she'll leave New Orleans. I know someone who can protect her and keep her safe from what is coming." "You're not going to take my daughter away from me." Hayley was standing now, glaring at me. The wolves were backing her up. Silly, silly wolf, she was no match for me. I got up. "Listen to me, little wolf, your daughter is about to be the first born hybrid. Do you have any idea how many people are going to come after her? How many people are going to want to use her for personal gain? I want to protect her from that. I want to give her a normal life, far away from the supernatural." "You think I don't? You have no idea what I've been through. Besides, she would've been safe if she had been under the protection of the Originals, but you went ahead and ruined that. I'm going to protect her, I can take care of her. Just because you don't know what it's like to have a child growing inside of you, doesn't mean that you're not getting my daughter." Insolent, foolish girl. "I know, I know what it's like to have a tiny living thing growing inside your body, I know what it's like to give birth and I also know what it's like to have your child ripped away from you. I am well aware of what I'm asking you to do. But, tell me something, Hayley, don't you think your daughter should be safe? Don't you want her to have the best chance at survival? I know someone who will protect her, who will make sure that no harm will come to her and who can disappear without leaving a trace." "I don't want to give up my daughter." Hayley whined. "You'll have to. I can't promise you that you will ever see her again, that depends on how things develop. But I can promise you that your daughter will live a happy life and she'll be safe." I felt sorry for the girl. In all honesty, she didn't deserve to have her baby taken away from her. Sure, I was angry with her and I disliked her a lot, but losing her baby wasn't something I'd wish upon anyone. "You should leave. You're not getting my daughter." I beg to differ. "Fine. But I'll let you in on a little secret, I always get what I want. And in a couple of months from now, that baby of yours will be safe and sound. Without you." I heard the shuffling of the wolves, preparing to attack. With one little pull at my magic, the wolves froze in mid-action. Hayley's eyes widened. "You do not want me as your enemy, Hayley, so don't make me one. I know fully well the sacrifice I'm asking you to make, but if I were you and I knew that I could save my child, I would rather give her up so she gets to live than having her die before she even reaches adulthood. And even if you attempt to run, I will find you. I have a thousand years of knowledge at my disposal. I can easily do a tracking spell." I turned away, leaving Hayley to make of it what she wants. I got into the car next to Rebekah and drove away, releasing the hold I had on the wolves.

I know what I had seen, and if there was one thing I knew for sure, was that I could trust my visions. One way or another they will come true. And I did not want this miracle baby involved in the battle that was to come.

**Mystic Falls – Present Day**

"They can't just come and go whenever they feel like it. This is our town." Elena uttered. Bonnie had informed the others of the coming of Rebekah and her friend. They were at the Salvatore's, discussing their plan. Everyone was there, including Enzo, Liv and Luke Parker. "There's no way you're going to be meeting them." Damon said. "If Liv comes with me, it won't be a problem." Bonnie said. "How come they even know of the existence of the Travelers? And how did they communicate with Kol?" Tyler asked. "There are a lot of witches in New Orleans." "Last time I was there, they were having problems with establishing peace with the witches. Besides, they don't want people to know that Kol is dead. It means that the Originals aren't invincible." Tyler countered Stefan. "Kol mentioned that he knew a witch who might be able to help me out. Maybe it's the same witch?" "You think she'd be playing the field? No witch would be stupid enough to cross the Mikaelsons." Damon said. "And if it's the same witch, she'd be pretty damn powerful." Elena concluded.

After much discussion, they decided that Damon and Liv would be meeting Rebekah and her friend. The others would be on their way to the Gilbert's lake house and stay there until the coast was clear. Liv would be able to stop the witch from using her magic and Damon would delay Rebekah.

**Mystic Falls – tenth century**

I always loved walking in the woods, searching for herbs. I was looking for wolfsbane, something that wasn't easy to find around here. I had just found some when I felt a very powerful blast of magic. It was coming from somewhere deeper in the woods. I ran to the place where the magic had originated. "Any other great ideas, Katherine?" "Please, Blondie, this will work out. We just need to figure out where exactly we are." I had reached the place and I saw two girls standing in a small clearing. One was blonde, the other looked familiar. There was something strange about the two of them. Their clothes were weird and they were giving off a strange vibe. My witch senses told me that they may not be human. The brunette looked an awful lot like Tatia, but I just knew that this girl wasn't her. "Hi." They both turned to look at me. The brunette stepped closer to me. "Hello, my name is Katherine and you're going to tell me where I can find Elijah Mikaelson." What did she want with my brother? "What do you need from Elijah?" The brunette didn't seem pleased. Before I could blink the girl had me up against a tree while choking the life out of me. I could barely breathe, so I did the only thing that I could and I used my magic. She let go and I slumped to the ground. The blonde was standing next to me, holding out her hand. "Hey, are you okay?" I looked at her in confusion, but accepted her hand anyway. It was then that I got a better understanding into who they were. Image flashed through my mind. They were something called vampires, immortals who need blood in order to survive. And they weren't from this time either. They had come from the future. Once I was up, I immediately let go of her hand, not wanting to experience anymore of the girl's images. "I'm Caroline. You'll have to excuse Katherine for being a bit tactless. She isn't very patient when she doesn't immediately get what she wants." I was trying to determine whether I could trust her. She seemed sincere. "I'm Eva." I turned to Katherine. "If you ever try that again, I'll do much worse than this. How did you get here, anyway?" Katherine glared at me, but she didn't try anything else. Caroline looked at Katherine, but both were obviously having trouble with coming up with a story. I smiled. "You'll have to work on that. So far, I know you're not witches, so you couldn't possibly be the source of the power that has passed through this place. I also know that you're something called vampires. Never heard of that, to be honest. And I know you're not from this time. So, I'll ask again, how did you get here and more importantly why are you here?" I put some more force to my tone in order to get them to answer. I tried to stand a bit taller, too. It wasn't easy for me, considering that I was just a fifteen year old girl and nowhere near as physically strong as the ones standing in front of me. "Great, of all the places we could end up, we're with a freaking witch who can read minds." Katherine complained. "I didn't read your mind, my mother told me that it was rude. I just happened to receive some flashes when Caroline helped me up. And I'm not very patient either." Caroline seemed to get what I was playing at. "Here's the thing, Eva. A friend of ours, a Bennett witch, sent us back here in order to stop certain events from unfolding. And we sort of need help from Elijah. Oh, and could you maybe tell us when and where we are?" I laughed. "Let me get this straight, you have a friend who's a Bennett witch and you don't know when she sent you to? As far as my experience with Bennett witches go, they're pretty damn powerful. But hey, we're somewhere around the year thousand and you're in the New World." Katherine and Caroline looked troubled. "Well, I hate to say it, but I told you so." Caroline said. "May I remind you that it's your witch. And you happily agreed to go back in time to stop the big bad evil hybrid from finding out about the stupid cure and Silas. Besides, we're only off by a century or so?" Silas, that name had a familiar ring to it. "Yeah, but why did we end up here?" I cleared my throat. "You said you were looking for Elijah, right? Elijah lives in this time, he'd probably be dead by next century, so maybe that's why you ended up here?" Both girls turned to look at me. "Can you take us to him?" I shook my head. "Again I ask, why do you need Elijah?" Katherine took a step closer to me. "Listen you little witch, my business with Elijah is none of your concern. So tell me where I can find him or..." Caroline pulled Katherine back. "Kat, maybe we should take this slow. She never heard of vampires, you do realise what that means right?" Katherine seemed to understand what Caroline was implying. I, on the other hand, was at loss. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "You said you know a Bennett witch, could you take us to her?" Caroline asked. I shrugged. What was the harm in bringing them to Ayanna? "Fine, but I still need to get some wolfsbane on our way there." I led the way towards Ayanna's house. She was waiting at the door with a stern look on her face.

"I think someone's in trouble." Katherine whispered to me. "It wasn't me?" I tried to sound innocently. "Don't try me, Evanna. I told you to get wolfsbane, not go exploring a powerful magical outburst. You are a going to be an extremely powerful witch someday, Eva, but you shouldn't run off on your own like that. Especially when it concerns magic of a Bennett witch." Caroline carefully stepped forward. "Hello miss Bennett, my name is Caroline Forbes, this is Katherine Pierce." I noticed how they hadn't entered the house yet. I remembered another image from Caroline. She had to be invited in. "Call me Ayanna, and please, do come in." We all entered her little house. "Eva, could you be so kind as to warm some tea?" I headed over to her stove and put on a kettle to make some tea. "So, Caroline and Katherine, how did you get here?" "Time travelling spell? It kind of went wrong. We were supposed to end up a century past this one." Caroline quickly recapped how they ended up here. Ayanna noticed they weren't human, so she asked about that too. Meanwhile I put the tea out for everyone. As they were explaining, something suddenly dawned upon me. "You asked for Elijah before you knew when you were. You thought he was going to be there, one hundred years from now. He should be dead. Unless..." As I was putting it all into words I realised what this all meant. The looks on Caroline's and Katherine's faces confirmed my suspicions. My eyes locked with Ayanna. I shook my head. "You said it wasn't possible. You told me it was just a dream. You told me that it wouldn't happen. Not after Qetsiyah. It was only supposed to be a dream." I was losing it. This couldn't be real. I had dreamt about my family turning into monsters. Becoming vampires, as they were supposedly called. Doomed to wander this world for eternity, preying on humans for their survival. "Evanna, calm yourself. I only said it was improbable. As it turns out, someone else created a new spell. This is not the same one as Qetsiyah's. It was not done by a Bennett witch." I didn't want to hear it. "It doesn't matter. I will stop this. I can't let this happen. They are not going to become monsters. This can't happen." I shook my head and I felt myself falter. I felt my control shatter and the world around me started to shake violently. I saw the dark veins under my siblings' eyes. Their eyes growing dark as they were consuming human blood. I suddenly felt a sting on my cheek and I snapped back into control. Katherine was standing in front of me. "Listen to me, little witch, now is not the time for you to lose control. Besides, being vampires isn't all that bad. And don't worry about Elijah, he manages himself quite fine. Funny he never mentioned you, though." I had to admire her audacity. With my power's back in check, I glared at the vampire standing in front of me. "You do know I could kill you, right?" She smiled. "But you won't." "Enough of this. Let's sit down and talk about this." Ayanna ordered and we both did as she said. "You will hold your tongue about this, Evanna." Ayanna said in a warning tone. I almost argued with her, but I understood the importance of keeping it a secret. "You have to be careful about what you will say when you are here, Caroline and Katherine. It would not be wise to let anything slip. And that includes about you knowing Elijah or how vampires came to this world." I opened my mouth the argue, but Ayanna cut me off. "You know very well that time isn't something that a witch can just ignore. Certain things have occurred before and it will not do to meddle with that. I hope you understand the importance this, Evanna." I slumped back in my seat. I knew she was right, but I just didn't want my visions to become reality. "You expect me to let everything run its course? Who's to say that the future hasn't already changed because they are here?" Ayanna shook her head. "Everything happens for a reason. Now, Katherine, we'll need to do something about your appearance." By changing the subject, Ayanna had masterfully managed to keep me from discussing this more. And of course, Katherine couldn't go around looking like she was Tatia's twin. "How is it that she looks like Tatia?" I couldn't help myself. I was a very curious person, and I wound up getting in trouble because of it most of the time. "I believe it will be best if we do not discuss that." Caroline said. Ayanna performed an easy spell to change people's perception of Katherine's appearance. Only those that knew how she truly looked could see her as she was. "I don't see any change." Caroline whispered softly. "Do not doubt, people will not perceive her as Tatia. Now, all we need is a story for the both of you." Ayanna looked at me expectantly. Great, she wouldn't let me stop my siblings from being turned into monsters, but coming up with some story was something I had to do. "Well, we'll need something to explain their accents. How about they travelled from the Old World and they're staying with you because there are some troubles in their hometown? Isn't there a Bennett branch there or something?" I proposed. Ayanna smiled kindly at me for the first time tonight. "I guess we can do that. After all, the two of you will be staying here until I figure out a way to send you back to your own time. You might want to change clothes too. I have some extra dresses and I believe Eva won't mind sharing some of her clothes." "Thank you." Caroline said and Katherine begrudgingly followed suit. I grinned at the brunette. There was something about her that I liked. And Caroline seemed to be genuinely kind, even though she was a monster.

"Eva, Eva!" A voice called from outside. I heard the distress in Henry's voice. "What's the matter?" I asked as I exited Ayanna's home. "You have to come, Father isn't pleased with Nik and Elijah send me to come and get you." I looked at the house, but Ayanna nodded. She'd take care of Katherine and Caroline. "Eva, we have to hurry." I followed Henry to my house. Father was standing in front of a huddled Nik. "It took you long enough." Elijah whispered as I neared them. I noticed the small cut on Nik's arm. "You are no good, Niklaus. You are a disappointment to me and this in entire family." That's when I stepped forward. "Father." I said in disbelief. He turned to look at me. "Eva, where have you been all day?" The stern tone he had held just moments earlier was entirely gone. Instead was genuine concern, no accusation nor any anger. "I was out, gathering some herbs for Ayanna. Why is Nik bleeding?" I asked as I knelt down to sit down beside my brother. "We were just practicing his fighting skills. I got a bit carried away." Father turned to look at Nik. "My apologies, son." He didn't mean it, I knew that, but it was something. Then he walked away. I turned towards Nik. "You okay?" I asked. "You don't have to keep saving me, Eva. I'm fine." He said as he got up. I reached out for his arm. "Let me at least get your wound cleaned up." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Please?" I begged as I met his stare and tried to look as pleading as I could. He sighed and I knew I had won. It wasn't a deep cut, so I just cleansed it and put some herbs on it to keep it from festering. "I don't know how you do it, Eva." Elijah said as I was finishing up bandaging Nik's cut. I smiled at my big brother. "I guess it pays of to be daddy's little girl. I just wish he wouldn't be so hostile and unkind towards you. You haven't done anything wrong." Elijah placed a hand on my shoulder. Nik looked up at me. "Thanks." "Always and forever, right?" I said with a small smile. It was something we always said, it was a promise that we'd always be there for one another. My smile suddenly disappeared when I thought about the two vampires that were currently staying with Ayanna. The same faith that would befall my siblings. Forever had just taken on a completely different meaning. "Eva, is everything alright?" Rebekah asked. I got up and wiped my hands on my skirt. "I'm fine, Beks, it's just been a long day." Bekah put an arm around me and guided me home. "Come on, Mother wants us to help with dinner."

**In the meantime at Ayanna's place…**

"Who do you think she is?" Caroline asked while getting into one of the dresses that had been given to them. "I don't know. I've never seen her before. Or maybe I have…" Katherine trailed, there had been something familiar about the girl. "It doesn't matter. We wound up in the wrong time. They're still human. And that girl, this Eva, obviously cares about the Mikaelsons." "I truly wonder who she is. For someone of maybe fifteen, she sure has a lot of power. She wasn't even scared of us." Caroline said while putting on the dress. "Maybe she's Kol's girlfriend or something. That might explain his obsession with witches." Katherine said, tying up the dress. When they were both properly dressed, they made their way back to Ayanna.

"You two already look as if you belong here. Eva will keep her mouth shut, but you'll have to be careful around her." "Is she clairvoyant?" Caroline asked. "I do not know what powers Evanna holds. Her mother keeps an unusual distance, though she shares her gifts. I fear Evanna might be too powerful for her own good." "How did she know about the Mikaelsons becoming vampires?" Katherine inquired. She wanted to know as much as she could about this Evanna. "Eva came to me a couple of weeks ago. She told me she'd had these weird visions and voices that were whispering to her, telling her about the future of the Mikaelsons. She was quite upset. Knowing Eva, she'll try everything she can to stop that from happening. I need you to make sure that everything happens as it is supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason and one of these days, Evanna will realise that too." "It's really important for us to talk to Elijah." Katherine pushed the witch. "You'll have to be careful not to alter the time line."

"Ayanna." A voice called at the door. The witch went to open it. "Esther. Please do come in." Ayanna motioned for the woman to enter. She noticed the two girls. "These are Katherine and Caroline. They are the daughters of a friend in the Old World." Ayanna explained, using the story Evanna came up with. "Caroline, Katherine, this is Esther." She greeted them politely, not knowing that the two vampire knew a lot about her already. "Evanna said something along the same lines to Rebekah. Would you girls like to come over for dinner?" Esther asked, intrigued by the appearance of two strangers in this village. Katherine and Caroline looked at Ayanna. "If it's not of any trouble, Esther." "Of course not. Rebekah and Evanna are already helping. You're welcome to come too, Ayanna." "Thanks for the offer, but I have some things to take care of." Ayanna needed to consult the Spirits about the coming of the two girls. And about the visions of Evanna. "Of course. Caroline, Katherine, dinner will be ready in an hour." Esther said before walking out the door. "You already know who she is, I see." "We've met." Both girls said. "I don't want to hear it. Looks like you'll get your chance to meet Elijah tonight."

Less than an hour later…

Caroline and Katherine made their way through the village, it wasn't that hard to find the Mikaelson's home. "I always wondered what they would be like as humans." Katherine said as she saw Elijah and Klaus having a conversation. Rebekah was playing with Henrik, while Finn was helping his mother. "You and me both. They don't have a thousand years weighing them down. Look, there's Evanna. With Kol." Caroline said, pointing at the pair. "Evanna, Kol." A stern voice called. It was Mikael. "Sorry, father." Both Kol and Evanna said. Caroline and Katherine exchanged a look. "They have another sister?" Caroline whispered to Katherine. "Apparently so."

* * *

Ta-da :)

I'll probably be alternating between flashbacks and present day and I'll be shifting point of view, I won't always be using Eva's point of view, as you may have noticed by now.

Thanks for reading and I hope you guys liked it :)

xoxo


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Sorry it took me so long, this chapter was a bitch to write. But I finally got around to finish it. Yay me :)

I'll leave you to it and hope you like it.

Sorry to leave you waiting

* * *

**Somewhere on the outback of Tennessee – Present Day**

"Why did we stop here?" Rebekah asked as I got out of the car.

"There's someone I'm meeting."

"Here?" Rebekah asked while looking around.

I'll admit, meeting in a graveyard was a bit weird, but no one would be here at this time of the day. Dawn was breaking.

"Who are we meeting?" Rebekah asked when a woman approached.

"Evanna. Back from the dead, can't say I'm surprised though."

"Roxane."

The girl had light brown hair and almond shaped eyes, with an olive skin.

"I take it that's your sister. Rebekah, right?" I could see the confusion on my sister's face. "

How do you know?" She whispered, turning to look at me.

"It's okay, Beks. I trust her."

"And here I thought you had trust issues." Roxane mocked me.

"Careful, Rox. It's never a good idea to bait an immortal witch."

"Immortal, huh?" And then we both started laughing. She pulled me in for a hug.

"It's damn good to see you again." Roxane whispered to me.

"Same here. Did you find out anything more?" Roxane was a pretty damn powerful witch who had been around for even longer than I had. She nodded slightly.

"Eva, care to explain?" My sister pulled at my arm, not giving Roxane the chance to answer.

"Rebekah, this is Roxane. Rox, this is my sister Rebekah. Roxane is Qetsiyah's daughter." I didn't mention that Silas was the father.

"And you trust her?" My sister asked, clearly wondering whether I was losing my mind.

"I do, Beks. And she's going to help us with Hayley's daughter." Rebekah didn't question me on this, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. I knew there would be a serious conversation when it was just the two of us.

"The miracle baby." Roxane had been around for almost two thousand years and had been able to survive that long. She'd been the one who had helped me find the truth about what I was. And together we had made some progress. Unfortunately, not enough. We were still in the dark about a great many things. "Nature's loophole." Roxane laughed at that.

"You honestly believe that? Because if you did, you wouldn't be here." She knew me pretty well.

"A battle is coming. Something ancient has been awakened." Roxane didn't look all that surprised.

"You know something." I said when she didn't respond immediately.

"I know many things, Eva, but about this battle, it has long been foretold." I looked at her expectantly.

"Remember when you went on your Spirit Quest, you found a tree, the Yggdrasil, blocking your path. The Norn cutting a tread." I nodded, remembering fully well what had transpired on that quest.

"Destiny." I whispered.

"Eva, you do realise that I'm not Kol, right? I don't know much about this witchy stuff and what this is all about."

"I believe there are times even I don't know what it is all about. In this case, it's quite a story. It's probably best if Roxane tells it." Roxane nodded in agreement. It was an oral tradition, passed down over the generations.

"_I remember, tales of old, _

_nine homes, up in the tree. _

_In times of old, Chaos, _

_no land nor sea, no sun nor moon, _

_no stars to shine down upon you. _

_The burden lifted, the mighty created. _

_Then the holy ones assembled, _

_up in their seats on the marbled thrones, _

_names they gave, council they held._

_Order was established in the cosmos._

_Nine worlds I knew,_

_with strong roots beneath the mould. _

_Mighty Midgard, _

_the realm of the mortals. _

_The battlefield for the gods. _

_Fire and blood colour the earth red. _

_A struggle for power, _

_one that could mean the end of the world. _

_The ash still stands, _

_hearing the prayer of a seventh child. _

_The old crone of the lofty tree, _

_white water,_

_cleansing the wickedness. _

_The call of the daughter was answered, _

_fair-haired Dayana _

_became the hope of the world. _

_The Erodia offered a deal,_

_Dayana accepted,_

_bestowing upon her gifts _

_too great for anyone to hold. _

_A great and terrible evil was stirring in the East, _

_the Mother wanted to walk again._

_The three-faced Maiden _

_found herself betrayed by Dayana. _

_The fair-haired witch _

_didn't uphold her end of the bargain, _

_dooming the world._

_Heaven and earth bended to her will, _

_she became unstoppable. _

_Some tried, _

_but she refused to yield,_

_killing those she had once cared for. _

_But the Yggdrasil still endured,_

_the Crow Goddess lighted her torch, _

_calling to the one who had failed before. _

_Oaths were broken, _

_words and bonds made anew. _

_From the home of the gods, _

_he rose, mighty and gracious. _

_A last pledge he made, _

_the Saviour of Cities, _

_but would suffer the consequences. _

_Earth's Champion, _

_the god who had once sworn _

_to love Dayana forever, _

_finally managed to drive a sword through her heart. _

_Nine steps he took,_

_in swelling rage, _

_unknowingly linking his faith _

_with that of the Huntress. _

_Dayana was defeated, _

_but the battle wasn't won. _

_The Old Crone and the Lily _

_entombed the Mother, _

_not having the power to rid the world of her forever. _

_Only Dayana had, _

_and because of her, _

_so will others. _

_The Wild One will hunt again._

_But for now, _

_a new world has come into being, _

_risen from the ashes of death and destruction. _

_Time to wash our hands _

_from the bloodshed _

_and look to the earth,_

_in wondrous beauty once again. _

_A day shall come _

_when the Mother will walk this earth once more, _

_the gloomy serpent from below. _

_Now I must sink."_

I found it incredible that to this day still, a tale like that survived. Generation after generation, it had passed on. Rebekah stared at Roxane, not knowing what to make of it.

"That's a strange story, but what does this have to do with us?" Rebekah asked. Roxane looked at me. Another piece of my vision had just clicked.

"Baba Yaga. She's going to use the birth of the miracle baby to get her full power back. She created her own nexus vorti." Roxane nodded in agreement.

"Baba Yaga, Kybele, the Mother, call her what you want, she's no good. She's going to try and use the baby for her own personal gain. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Time is running out. You have your work cut out for you, Eva." Didn't I know that. I was really dreading the time that was going to come. I've tried to protect them for as long as I could, guess I was just going to have to find a good time to come clean to my siblings. I didn't know how they were going to take the news. But, those were things for later on. First the Other Side. Roxane seemed to have read my mind.

"You know the deal, Eva. I protect yours as long as you do the same with mine. I'm not expecting miracles, but she could be an asset." I nodded in understanding. Kol had already mentioned Bonnie Bennett and the possibilities she could offer. Plus he sort of half promised her help if she cooperated.

"I'll do what I can, Rox." She accepted my answer.

"You might need this." Roxane offered me a bracelet. It was the one that I had given to her for safekeeping. I extended my arm and Rox clasped the bracelet on my arm. I immediately felt its power connecting with my own. Roxane gave me a small smile.

"Until we meet again, Evanna." She pulled me in for a hug.

"May the moon alight your path." I whispered to her.

"And may the stars watch over you." Roxane said before walking away.

I could feel Rebekah's eyes boring into my back. I slowly turned around to face my sister, knowing that a lecture was coming. "Have you completely lost your mind? All these years, we do our utter best to keep you a secret and you run off and make friends with the daughter of some crazy witch? And not just that, but she knows a whole lot about us, about you, and you didn't think for one second that we should meet her? What were you thinking, Evanna?"

"I found myself in a bad situation and I didn't know how to get myself out. Roxane happened to walk by and she was able to help me out. We've been friends ever since. She's helped me discover more about who I am. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know why I'm this powerful. And she would never betray me. I'm not asking you to trust her, but I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do this?" I waited for my sister to say something. Slowly she nodded.

"I trust you, Eva. Don't ever doubt that." My sister said as she took my hands in hers. She squeezed them gently.

"So, why are you so powerful? You never talked about that." I bit my lip to figure out how much to tell her.

"Remember what Rox said about the seventh daughter who made a deal with the Old Crone?" Rebekah nodded.

"You're a seventh child, a daughter. So this deal has an effect to this time still?"

"It's complicated, but to answer your question, it sort of does. You see, a powerful witch should never have more than six children if her first child is female. Yet, every once in a while it happens. It's like statistics. Every thousand years, give or take a decade, a seventh daughter is born. It's magick to balance the possible return of the Mother. Normally, the witch in question shows extraordinary powers, but she lives a normal life. But with me, something has changed. I was born a little over a millennium ago, and until this day, no seventh daughter has been born to a powerful witch." I could see my sister trying to make sense of what I was telling her.

"Is that why you're back? To fight Baba Yaga?"

"It's more complicated than that. I can't explain it to you now. It's a very long story and I only want to tell it once. I need all of you to be alive and have our current issues with the Other Side resolved. Baba Yaga has to wait until the birth of the miracle baby. And so does my story." I knew there was a strain in my voice.

"You're finally going to tell us everything?" Rebekah asked, sounding hopeful.

"From beginning to end." I promised her. A little smile graced my sister's mouth. Then we walked back to the car and hit the road.

Rebekah drove while I took a nap. I woke up after an hour or two. Beks offered me one of Nik's cupcakes. "I've been thinking. What did Roxane mean by _I protect yours as long as you protect mine_? And how is she like two thousand years old? Is she like you?" I took a bite from the cupcake before answering.

"Let's start from the beginning. Roxane isn't immortal. Qetsiya is the originator of the Bennett bloodline. Roxane is Qetsiya's firstborn, she had some siblings, who are now long since dead. But Qetsiya, being as awesome and crazy as she is, linked Roxane to the Bennett line. As long as Bennett witches walk this earth, so long does Roxane live. Now, the Bennett line is becoming a rare breed. There are few full-blooded Bennetts left. Roxane herself isn't a witch exactly, her powers stem from her connection with her bloodline. It's like the reverse of the New Orleans ancestral magic. Roxane wants me to help Bonnie, to bring her back from being the anchor. Bonnie was an extremely powerful witch, having her back on this side, permanently, gives Roxane some extra juice. And I fear that we may have need of every asset we can get."

"God, Eva. How many people are you going to drag back to the land of the living? How the bloody hell are you going to pull that off?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? I'm still in the dark as to the how. But I'll figure something out." There wasn't another option. Especially now that I knew that Baba Yaga was the ancient evil that had awoken. It terrified me.

"You're so sure about that."

"I have to believe that I can do this, Beks. I spent a thousand years looking for something that I would never get back. I've wasted centuries looking for something that I had lost long ago instead of trying to save what I still had. We are a family, it's about time we started acting like it again." Rebekah let out a small hollow chuckle.

"We haven't been a family in a long time, Eva."

"I know. We're shells of the people we used to be. It's time to try and find our humanity again. And maybe together, we can do so. We grew up together, maybe we can remind one another of who we once were."

Rebekah remained quiet for a moment, focussing on the road. About half an hour later she pulled over. It was one of those typical roadside diners. We ordered some food and drinks and sat down at one of the booths.

"I have to ask, though Damon? Matt and Stefan, I get. But Damon?" Rebekah looked mortified at first, but then she pulled her head back in laughter.

"We've all done things we're not proud off. And he was available when I didn't want to be alone. It won't happen again and I'd rather forget it happened in the first place." I held up my hands in surrender.

"It's not as if he's that bad looking, it's just, I kind of hate that arrogant smirk. And that thing he does with his eyes. Plus he's kind of a douche."

"Speaking from experience?" Rebekah sounded amused.

"I met him once, he was with Sage. Didn't really care much for him. I liked Stefan better. Not a douche bag." I had met Stefan several times, once with Lexi and once in his Ripper days.

"I think pretty much everyone likes Stefan better." I knew that whatever was between Stefan and Rebekah was still slightly unresolved. I had been with them in the twenties. It was love, as simple as that. There story wasn't over.

**New Orleans – Present Day**

Klaus had better things to do, but he needed a drink. Having his youngest sister waltz back into his life was something he hadn't dared dream of in a very long time. He had missed her, but he was also angry with her. How dare she leave them like that? She was supposed to be immortal, just like him. Klaus was still doubtful about whether or not she'd be able to bring the others back. It scared him too. He knew that things would change once the Mikaelson clan was back together again. Change was imminent. He cursed himself, annoyed with his stupidity. Somehow, he'd deluded himself into caring about the unborn child. And now he had lost something that was never going to be his. Rebekah had been right, he'd been in denial. He would never be a father. It was probably for the best.

"So, you all seem to be quite close with this Evanna. How long have you know her?" Cami inquired, shaking Klaus from his thoughts. Nik took a large sip from his bourbon.

"I've known Eva her entire life." He thought back at the innocent and happy girl she had once been. Running around the woods, getting them all into trouble. Klaus recalled all the times she had saved him, talked Mikael down. And then there was that proud stance she would get when she was able to perform a spell correctly. He remembered the seven year old, careless girl. The twinkle in her eyes, her laughter, full and rich, he missed that sound. It had been a thousand years, her innocence long gone, her eyes haunted by some evil he couldn't protect her from. The centuries had weighed her down, her bright light, slowly diminishing. And there was nothing he could've done. He couldn't save her, because he didn't know how to fix it.

"Are you okay?" Cami asked, sounding concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Klaus snapped.

"Easy brother." Elijah said, sitting down next to him. Elijah sensed that his brother was on edge.

"Don't give me a lecture, Elijah." Elijah chuckled at Klaus reaction.

"Am I amusing you, brother?" Klaus practically spit out the last word.

"That's the Klaus I know." They both sat in silence for a while. Cami made a last attempt to have a conversation with Klaus.

"So, how's Hayley?" Wrong thing to say.

"That little wolf won't be around any time soon. Don't mention her again." Klaus sounded angry.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cami tried.

"No, I don't want to thank about how I am the bad guy and ruin everyone else's life. Because let's face it, Eva's right. I am an arrogant, spiteful monster. The one who made bad decisions, breaking up this family. I drove Rebekah away, after everything we've been through. Kol's dead because of me. And Finn, well, he has every right to hate my guts. It's my fault."

Elijah put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. "You do realise why she's doing this, don't you?" Klaus turned towards Elijah.

"In all honesty, brother, I don't. She hasn't been this involved since we were humans. Why the change?"

"I believe, that in her own way, Eva's trying to find her way back. And she needs us to help her, we need each other to remind ourselves who we once were."

"Always the hopeful one, aren't you, Elijah?"

"It beats being bitter from old age. You have single-handedly managed to push everyone away. Eva is giving you a second chance. You may not owe it to yourself, but you owe it to your family. To Rebekah who has stood by you for all those years, to Finn who has been locked in a coffin for centuries, to Kol, who has died trying to protect us. To me, because I have tried the best I can and to Evanna, who has been through hell and back." Elijah emptied his drink and left Niklaus to his thoughts.

Elijah walked around New Orleans, trying to find Davina. By chance he ran into her at the town square.

"Davina." Elijah called out. The girl turned towards him, she regarded him cautiously.

"Elijah."

"I was hoping we could talk." He explained. Davina hesitated.

"I have some time, I guess. Has Eva left already?"

"Yes, she left during the night. She's actually the one who has asked me to talk to you." He sometimes wondered how his sister managed to get people to trust her this fast. She could be fearsome and unpredictable, and yet, she had somehow already earned Davina's trust. It may have been because of what she did for Josh and for the way she didn't push Davina about her magic. He only hoped that Davina would be willing to discuss her resurrection.

"Alright then." Elijah guided Davina towards the plantation house, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop on them. Eva had informed him that she'd placed a protection spell on it to make sure that only those with a relation to her could get in and invite other people in.

"How come you never mentioned Eva before?" Davina inquired.

"Because until a few days ago, she was dead." He didn't see any harm into telling Davina this, it would help establish some trust. Besides, Eva had told him to trust the girl, until a certain extent, however.

"How did she come back?"

"That's a bit of a mystery. We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on this, or offer some help." They had arrived at the plantation house and he invited the young girl in. He led her to the sitting room.

"I don't know how I can be of any help." Davina said as she sat down.

"Eva seems to thinks so. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Do you have some tea? And you seem to put a lot of faith in Eva." The underlying message was clear to Elijah.

"I trust her with my life. Any preference on the tea?"

"Peppermint?" Elijah nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Davina followed him and sat down on the counter.

"This is a nice place." Davina said as she looked around the room.

"It's history may not be as nice, but it's been our home for a long time."

"Do you have any other places that you call home?" Elijah was surprised by the girl. He hadn't thought she would be making much conversation with him, but yet, here she was, inquiring about their life.

"New Orleans is the only place we ever settled down. But we do have another house, back in Mystic Falls."

"That's where Eva is headed, right?" She was observant.

"It is." Silence hung between them for a moment.

"So, what does Eva really want to know? I doubt she asked you to give me tea and talk about your home."

"She wanted me to ask you about the Harvest Ritual and your resurrection."

Davina almost hopped of the counter and walked out, but somehow, she found the strength to remain seated. She didn't answer and Elijah didn't force her. The water in the kettle was boiling. Elijah grabbed two mugs and poured them some tea. He gave a mug to Davina and sat down opposite her, waiting for her to start the conversation. Minutes passed by and Davina didn't say anything. She didn't know where to begin. The Original vampire remained silent.

"Let's make a deal." Davina finally decided. She had the upper hand here. Elijah was surprised. This young witch was smart. She figured that she was the one who held all the cards.

"Alright. What do you want?" Elijah knew he had to tread carefully and not push the girl.

"I'll only talk to Eva about this. She said she would teach me more about magic, if I was interested. Last night, I told her I didn't know. Now I do. You want to know what I know, you'll have to take me to her." Elijah chuckled. Of course. Sometimes, he didn't get witches. Or his sister for that matter.

"Glad you find this amusing." Davina mumbled.

"It has nothing to do with you, Davina. It's just, Eva would've seen this coming." And the words had barely left his mouth, or his screen flashed Eva's name.

"You have excellent timing." Elijah said as he answered.

"Don't I always, Elijah."

"Davina only wishes to discuss this with you." He heard his sister sigh.

"Of course. Put me on speaker, would you?" Elijah did as she asked.

"Elijah says you'll only talk to me. Here's the deal, take it or leave it. I'll be in Mystic Falls for a little longer than anticipated. You want to talk, then you'll come here. I know what you have seen, because I have seen the same thing. Get your things ready to leave tomorrow. Take Josh with you, he knows where to go. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone but Marcel that you're leaving. Don't tell the witches. We'll talk more when you get to Mystic Falls." Evanna didn't give Davina any time to reply. She'd already hung up.

Elijah looked at Davina.

"Who is she?" Davina raised her head and looked to Elijah for answers.

"She's many things. But for now, she's someone who wants to help you."

"How did she know?" It took Elijah a moment to realise that she was asking about the vision or dream or whatever the girl must've had.

"A witch taught Eva that everything happens for a reason. Most of the time, Eva seems to believe the same. There's a war coming and it appears that you will be involved in it as well. I'm not telling you what to do, but it would be wise to do as Evanna says. She's been around for a very long time, almost as long as me." Davina stopped herself from asking more. It was obvious that the whole Mikaelson family was loyal to Eva and that if she wanted to know more about Evanna, she'd have to ask her herself. Davina nodded.

"I guess I'll be leaving New Orleans. Do you know what this will mean for my magic?" Elijah shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but I fear you might not be able to practice. There's a reason why Eva is asking you to leave. She knows what she's doing." At least that's what Elijah hoped.

-My Immortal - My Immortal -

Nik was nursing his drink and thinking about what Elijah had just said. So his little sister wanted to give them all a second chance. Good for her, because he wasn't the only one who'd blown the first one. Eva had done a lot of terrible things as well, and yet, they all still loved her anyway. Him included. He could never not care about Evanna, just like in the end, he would still care about Rebekah. Nik sighed. The Mikaelson reunion had been difficult and then finding out about the baby. It was all just piling up.

The redhead walked into the bar, ignoring Klaus. He drained the rest of his bourbon and headed over to Genevieve. Time to get the witch talking.

"Hello love." She didn't respond. He sat down next to her, making sure she wouldn't get out. After about five minutes, she finally said something.

"What do you want?" She was still angry with him for his dismissal of her.

"Come now, sweetheart, it was nothing personal. I had to tend to a family matter."

"Who is she?" There was some venom in her voice, but at least she was talking to him.

"Evanna. She's a very old friend, I've known her all her life. Eva's also a witch who has helped me out on several occasions."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Nik chuckled.

"Sweetheart, Eva's like a sister, there is nothing remotely romantic between us, there never was and there never will be." Genevieve turned to look at him closely. "One drink." She relented. Klaus motioned at the Cami for two drinks. Time to get the information he needed.

"So, Genevieve, tell me something, love, have you ever met a witch who went by the name of Valerie LaMarche?" He saw Genevieve looking at him in surprise.

"And that's why you are back to talking to me, you need information. Why don't you ask your witch, Eva, I'm sure there are a lot more things she can tell you about Valerie. Or maybe you should ask Valerie's daughter." Genevieve made a move to leave, but Klaus didn't budge.

"I'm asking you." It was clear that the witch was annoyed with his insistence, but she gave in.

"She was a witch, extremely powerful and dabbled in the most arcane arts."

"Really? She sounds like a very intriguing figure."

Genevieve snorted. "Using Expression does that to witches. From what I've heard, it's what got her killed."

"How come I never met her?" Nik was confused, if she was as powerful as Genevieve suggested he would've crossed paths with her, one way or another. Then again, he knew Expression and from what he'd seen the Bennett witch accomplish, she could've been able to hide herself.

"She was younger than me, I only know of her existence because Celeste told me about her." Once again, his brother's ex was a source of information. Too bad she wasn't around anymore. "You mentioned a daughter, what about her?"

"Ask Evanna, they know one another."

What was his sister trying to gain? If she knew the daughter, than she would've known the mother as well. He was grasping at straws, and Eva had sent him on a wild goose chase.

"She forgot to mention that. Now of the more interesting things. Tell me, Genevieve, what kind of magic are you practicing nowadays?"

"What has got you so interested in what I am doing, Klaus?" She wasn't as naive as she had been in the twenties, what a shame.

"This is my city." He said it casually, but Genevieve got the message. She smiled sweetly at him.

"And what if I don't tell you? You'll kill me?" It was Nik's turn to smile. "Eventually. But first, Evanna will get it out of you."

"She's no match for me." Genevieve said cockily, not realising that Eva had about ten times as much experience as the redheaded witch.

"Sweetheart, you do not want to challenge Evanna. She's almost as old as I am. Eva has done things you can only imagine doing. That earthquake from a couple of nights ago, that was her. She can raise storms and bend people to her will. I'd love to see you try and stop her." The girl's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"The Huntress." Genevieve whispered.

"Is that what she calls herself nowadays?" It suited his sister, that for sure. Klaus leaned back, watching Genevieve trying to make sense of it.

"It's a legend, Celeste mentioned. I didn't ask, but she did tell me about one witch she wouldn't dare crossing. Rumour has it she died a couple of years ago. Apparently they weren't true."

"That's interesting. Anything else you know about her?" He was intrigued. Klaus had heard of the Huntress before, but had never thought it applied to his youngest sister.

"Why are you here instead of her?" Genevieve dared to glance at the Original Hybrid. There was a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Because she has other things to do. And she thought you might like me better than her."

There was something about Genevieve that he liked. She was smart and she didn't just let people walk over her. It reminded him of his favourite blonde vampire in Mystic Falls. But the witch lacked the light and fearlessness Caroline possessed. Nobody could compare to his Caroline. She was out of their league, and most of all, out of his. He would see Caroline again, one day, when she was ready. She needed to realise that her plans and that her idea of what her life is supposed to be like wouldn't suffice, not in the long run. And he would be there, waiting for her.

"Klaus?" Genevieve asked hesitantly.

"Sorry, got a bit lost in thought. Now, there are two ways we can go about this, either you tell me what I want to know and we have a nice evening or you continue to be stubborn and it will all be a lot less pleasant, but by the end of the night, I will still have what I came here for. The choice is yours."

**On the Road – Present Day**

"Davina's joining us in Mystic Falls? With Josh? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I need to get her out of New Orleans." Rebekah looked at her sister, wondering once again, what the hell was she planning.

"Why?"

"Because, as long as she is in New Orleans, she'll be tight to the ancestors. And that will be a hindrance for her further magical development." Rebekah didn't fully understand, but she decided to let it slide. It will become clear, in due time. She hoped.

* * *

So, what did you think?

I'm trying something new with the layout, do you like it better like this or do you prefer how I used to format it?

Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.

Lovies,

Zoë


	6. Chapter 6

**Mystic Falls – Present Day**

"No way in hell." Rebekah suddenly uttered. I looked at her from the passenger seat. "What is it?" "Did you know? Of course you knew, right?" My sister was sounding a bit frantic. "Know what?" "That Katherine and Caroline travelled back in time. I just remembered. They were with us, in Mystic Falls, when we were humans. We were friends, I was friends with them, even when they knew who I'd become. Was it real?" Rebekah looked at me in question. I could see the hurt on her face, but also the hope of maybe regaining a lost friendship. "It was." "How come I only remember now?" I shrugged. "I believe the spell has gone a bit wrong. I made all of you forget, you were supposed to remember when the search for the cure started, but that obviously didn't happen. Except with Kol. He remembered, but you all shut him out." "Right, they had come to warn us about the danger of searching for the cure. Their goal had been to stop Nik from finding out about the existence of the cure in the first place. How come the spell backfired?" It was still not entirely clear. "Maybe it was just supposed to happen this way." "That's why you've protected Katerina, because you knew her back then. Does she remember? Does Caroline?" I shook my head. "Not that I know. We'll find out soon enough, but I wouldn't count on it." I knew my brothers didn't recall it, or I would've most likely got a phone call from them. Hell, Nik would probably be making his way over here and demand for me to make Caroline remember as well. Too bad it wouldn't work like that. "Will they ever remember?" "One day."

"Katherine's dead." Rebekah stated. "I know." "Are you bringing her back as well?" I smiled slyly at my sister. "I might. She's family as well." "Good." Rebekah said and focussed back on the road. We were almost there. After stopping at some cheap roadside motel and a crappy diner, we were finally back where it had all started. I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Leaning my head back against the passenger seat, I closed my eyes for a moment. That was when it hit me. My eyes shot open, there was this pounding in my head. I moved my hands towards my head, trying to block it out. It's decided, I officially hate this town. "You okay?" Rebekah's concerned voice cut through my headache. "Yeah, just adjusting. There's a lot of stray magic running wild. It's the Expression triangle. I just need to adjust."

It took me about five minutes to be able to block it out. I sighed in relief when Rebekah pulled up at the Mikaelson Mansion. This was the first time I could see it while being on the same plane.

Rebekah watched her sister carefully, but it appeared she was alright. This didn't mean she was any less worried. Eva was known to be a bit reckless and impulsive, who knew what would happen. She hadn't voiced her worries to her younger sister yet, but Rebekah feared the worst. The story Roxane had told was still fresh in her mind. She still didn't understand everything, but she somehow suspected that her sister was an important key player in this battle. The Huntress who might just change the world, and maybe not for the better. Eva could be vicious and spiteful, Rebekah had seen what her sister was capable of, but still she refused to leave Evanna's side. Just like she would always chose Nik, she would chose Eva, time and time again. Her sister had a small smile on her face. She seemed relaxed, but Rebekah knew better. Eva had her guard up, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Home sweet home." I whispered silently. Rebekah put an arm around me and together we walked inside. I closed my eyes and let the place wash over me. Lots of things had transpired here, but the ball was most prominent in my mind. I had only caught a small glimpse of it, wishing I could've been there. I took Rebekah's hand and helped her guide me through the event. "You do realise it is considered very rude to spy on someone's memory." My sister said while we watched the ball unfold in my sister's memory. "I just wanted to be there, with you." I murmured. "I wish you'd been there, too." We stood there for a while, watching as the people entered the house, the dances, the music.

"We should do it again sometime, maybe once we're all together again." Rebekah proposed after I let go of her hand and the memories. "That would be nice." "Caroline should plan it." I nodded in agreement. She should. "Let's get them back first, shall we?" It was about four thirty and we made our way to the Mystic Grill.

Bonnie wasn't there yet when Beks and I entered. A certain bartender was, however. I smiled and made my way over to the bar. "You must be Matt." "And you are?" He asked, but then his eyes fell on Rebekah. They looked at one another for a moment and I knew that there was still some spark left. Too bad this would only end in tears. "Hello, Matt." Rebekah said hesitantly. "Rebekah, heard you were coming back. I assume this is your friend?" "Eva." I said with a lazy smile and held out my hand. The moment our hands made contact, I saw some flashes of his future. I immediately pulled back. "Eva?" Concern evident in my sister's tone. "I'm fine." I reassured her. I turned back to Matt. "Can I get some pie?" I sat down on a bar stool, looking at Matt expectantly. "Sure."

"Seriously?" "What?" She gave me a stop fooling around look. "I haven't had any pie in a very long time. Is it a crime to want some sugary goodness?" Rebekah shook her head. "What did you see?" Her tone was more demanding. "Matt's futures." "Oh." I placed my hand over hers. "I'm sorry, Beks. I know you love him. And he seems like a genuinely nice guy and you deserve that. But you'll find someone. Maybe you're already met him, but the timing was just all wrong. He's a human and becoming a vampire would change that. That was what I saw. Either he lives a normal human life, growing old, having kids and grandchildren and still be kind and loving, or he becomes a vampire and he won't handle that as well." "I guess it's for the best then? To let him go? I knew it wouldn't really have the fairytale ending I'd hope for. It was good while it lasted, right?" I saw the sadness in my sister's eyes. I rested my head on her shoulder. "Some things just aren't meant to be."

"Anything else?" Matt asked as he placed the pie in front of me. "I'm good, thanks." I smiled at him before diving into the pie. "So, how have you been?" My sister asked Matt. It wasn't busy, so he had some time to chat. "I've been okay. It's been a bit hectic around here. What about you?" "New Orleans wasn't exactly a walk in the park. One of my brother's exes has been stirring up some trouble. We luckily handled that situation." Rebekah told Matt. "Handled? If Nik hadn't killed her in the first place, she wouldn't have felt the need to go all vengeful on you guys. That man and his impatience, I'd say it would get him killed one day, but fortunately for him, he's an immortal pain in our asses." I cut in the conversation. "Eva." Rebekah scolded. "Please, Beks. You know I'm right." I met my sister's eyes and we both laughed. "You did have some messes to clean up over the years." "What am I doing now?" It wasn't an intentionally created mess and I knew that Nik had never wanted for Kol and Finn to die. Daggering was one thing, but he mostly did it out of fear of being left alone, forever. He never wanted to kill them. "In all fairness, if you had been here, none of this would've happened." I knew she meant it as a joke, but her words cut deep. Beks didn't know the truth about my death, so she didn't know that I was partly responsible for this mess. "I'm sorry I died, Bekah." I shot back, sounding a bit harsher than I had intended. Rebekah heard it and new that there was yet another truth I had to reveal. "You're here now." Rebekah said while pulling me close.

Matt watched the conversation between the two girls. They had a certain dynamic. It was clear that this Eva wasn't as young as she looked, and clearly she had a close connection to the Mikaelson clan. There was a trust and easiness between them, that could only come from spending a certain amount of time together. They clearly cared for one another, he could hear the affection in Rebekah's tone when she pulled the younger girl close. It was a side of Rebekah he had never seen. It was almost as if she was playing the big sister to this girl. Eva had mentioned she died, so was she a witch or a vampire? It didn't matter, Damon would find out soon enough.

"Let's dance." I offered Rebekah my hand. It took her a moment to realise which song was playing. "Billie Joel? Really?" But she smiled an accepted my hand. Together we danced like we did in the eighties. Technically, Rebekah had been daggered, but I had snuck her out of her coffin without Nik noticing. I did that rather often. A girl could only live without her big sister for so long. I did the same with Kol. Those were the wild times. And Finn too, but he usually didn't appreciate it as much. Until now, Nik hadn't figured it out. At least I believed he hadn't figured it out yet. While we were dancing, I subtly made the other people leave, just placing some suggestions into their heads. I didn't want any innocents in whatever trap they were going to spring on us.

Matt watched the two girls. There was something strange about them, it was like they had known one another for quite some time. There was also a slight resemblance, but it made no sense. "They're dancing?" Damon asked as he watched the now almost empty Mystic Grill. The two girls were the only one to still be here. "So it seems. I'll leave you to it." Matt said and headed out the backdoor.

"Damon Salvatore." I said after I had heard Matt leave. Beks and I had stopped dancing and approached the vampire. "Where's Bonnie?" My sister inquired. "She's waiting at our place." "How about we meet you there, then?" I didn't wait for an answer, but walked to the exit.

For the sake of appearances, we took the car to the Salvatore boarding house. It didn't take us very long to get there. Beks didn't even bother knocking but just walked through the door. I followed her in.

I figured this would most likely be a trap. Still, she was an Original, I one of the most powerful witches in existence. And I needed some fun, so we would just play around with whatever game they wanted to play. Rebekah didn't make it very far before being ambushed. She fell to the ground, a syringe sticking from her neck. I felt the magic linger in the air. Game on.

"Rebekah?" I cried out. A girl joined the fray. She was young, probably twenty or so, she had blonde, curly hair and she was a witch. "Don't worry, she'll wake up eventually." Damon said with a smirk. "What did you do to her?" I growled. "Just some werewolf venom and vervain." That was smart. I didn't show it. "Where's Bonnie? You said she would be here." "Did I?" Damon pretended to not know about anything. "We had a deal." I glared at the vampire. He acted nonchalantly. "You sent a ghost to do your bidding. We don't appreciate you Mikaelsons coming into town and demanding help from us whenever you feel like it." Rebekah wouldn't wake up any time soon, so it was up to me to fool around for a bit.

I used the beginner's witch trick on the vampire. The one where I let every vein in his brain explode. He doubled over in pain, only to come up laughing a couple of moments later. "I wasn't turned yesterday." Damon took a threatening step towards me. "You hurt me and you'll regret it." Damon chuckled at my attempt at bravery. At least that was what it was supposed to look like. I was actually enjoying myself. "They won't protect you. Whatever promises they made, they'd kill you as soon as they are done with you." I shook my head. "Nik wouldn't let that happen." "Nik huh? Why don't you give him a call." The witch remained at the background. I realised that she was actually performing magic. The spell she was doing was to keep me from using my magic. "Gadyen nan balans, gadyen nan la foi. Se pou nou fe sa yo dwe fe." I just uttered the words, deliberately keeping my magic from enacting the spell. I needed to let them believe that I didn't know what she was doing. Damon looked around, as if waiting for something to happen. "Having some trouble with your magic, witch?" I wish I could kill him, but I'd promised Elijah that I wouldn't kill anyone. Damon would suffer, though. "What are you doing?" I said through gritted teeth. "We're just keeping you from accessing magic. Just out of curiosity, what were you planning on doing? I've never heard that spell before." "Wouldn't you like to know." It was a spell I'd learnt in New Orleans, it subdued your opponents, unless they were too powerful. No one had ever managed to get me down with that spell.

Damon flung at me and his hand covered my throat. I was backed up against the wall. "Give me your phone." He demanded. I refused. There were only so many things I was willing to do. "Stubborn witch." His hand tightened slightly, it wasn't enough to choke me to death, though. I still didn't do it. His other hand went to my jeans pocket and he took my phone. I didn't stop him, though I wouldn't forget the intrusion on my personal space.

"Eva?" I heard my brother's voice through the phone. "So that's the witch's name. She hasn't introduced herself, how very rude of her." Damon's grip loosened slightly. "Where is she?" Nik demanded. "She's here. Rebekah's taking a werewolf venom induced nap and you're witch is now able to breathe properly. I'm not sure for how long, though." He was antagonising my brother. "You hurt her and you'll suffer." Nik promised, leaving out who would make him suffer. "Don't tell me you care about her? Is she that good?" Damon was playing a very dangerous game, especially with what he was implying. My brother has never taken kindly to someone insulting my or Rebekah's honour. "Do whatever you wish, Salvatore. You will pay." He was angry, but he knew how to play along. Damon's hand tightened around my throat. I screamed. "Nik, please." I begged. "Back off, or your witch dies." Damon threatened. To emphasise his point, his grip tightened even more. Once again I cried out. "Let me tell you something, Salvatore. You hurt her and you will find yourself in a lot of pain. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a city to terrorise." And the line went dead. Always so dramatic.

"So much for them caring. How about you tell me what they want and I'll let you live." He let go off me. "No." Damon flung at me again. "You do realise that they left you here to die." I shook my head. "Nik wouldn't leave me. They wouldn't abandon me. They love me." I stared Damon in the eye, waiting for him to strike. The game was almost over. "Your precious Nik all but told me to do what whatever I wish. So much for loving you." "I'm not going to tell you a single thing. I guess you'll just have to kill me, then. But mark my words, you will not like what is coming your way." The fun could start any moment know.

Damon attacked, but this time, I stopped him. Damon fell to his knees, screaming out in agony. The witch looked at me in shock, but with one movement of my hand she stood frozen in place. I smiled triumphantly at Damon. "Game over."

I let Damon suffer for a while, turning my attention to the witch. "Let's talk about you. I'm Eva." She looked at me in a mixture of awe, disbelief and fear. "Liv." "Liv what?" She wasn't being helpful. "Liv Parker." The name didn't ring any bells. Damon's screams were getting on my nerves. I decided to give him a break. "Who the hell are you?" "Evanna." I made sure both of them would stay put while I tended to my sister. I walked over to where Rebekah was lying, grabbing some wolfsbane from my bag. I didn't travel without a small collection of herbs. I found it wasn't a bad idea to have some on me. I took the syringe out of my sister's neck and put the wolfsbane on the small wound. I focussed on my magic and willed the venom out of her blood.

Rebekah woke up almost immediately. "What the bloody hell happened?" "Werewolf venom and vervain. I kind of wish we would've thought about that combo. Think of all the things we could've done with it." She got up and looked at the immobile Damon and Liv. "Guess the fun is over?" "Nah, we've only just begun." I shrugged. "I take it Bonnie isn't here?" Rebekah said, walking around the living room. "Someone didn't heed my warning." Kol said, looking at Damon and Liv. "Thank the gods you're still around. How is it?" I asked Kol. "Touch and go. There hasn't been that many people being sucked into vortexes. Finn's still trying to find Sage. Ran into him at the Grill earlier. I figured you'd either be here or at home. Nik has stopped baking. He's talking to the redhead. And I heard Davina is on her way here. Are we hosting a party or something?" Rebekah rolled her eyes at Kol, but answered him nonetheless. "Once everyone's here we are. Caroline's planning it." "You remember?" Kol said in surprise. "Yeah, about that, I'm sorry." Rebekah said sincerely. "I'm afraid I didn't hear that, could you repeat it?" "Go annoy someone else."

It was nice watching the easy banter between my brother and sister. It felt so natural. "So, we had a deal. We still need to talk to Bonnie." I said, standing in front of our host. "As you can see, she isn't here." Damon was starting to get on my nerves. It was a fine line between braveness and stupidity. Denying me information, that was stupidity. "Don't test her, Damon. Just tell us where we can find her." Rebekah warned. "Fine, but answer me one question first, how does a witch wind up doing your bidding?" Stupid idiot. With one thought, I pushed Damon against the wall, leaving him there, hanging. I remained standing, glaring at the older Salvatore. "Let's get one thing straight. I don't do anybody's bidding. I'm here because I want to be here. And do not make the mistake to underestimate me. Now, where is Bonnie Bennett?" I touched Damon's mind with my own, trying to find answers.

"That's great." I sighed after I'd got what I needed from the vampire. "Well? Where is she?" Rebekah asked impatiently. "They're at some lake house or cabin. It's a about an hour or so from here." "I don't really feel like driving, you?" I shook my head. "How about we give them a call?" I proposed, holding up Damon's phone. Rebekah shot me a grin. "You know, I can just go tell the witch to come out here." Kol suggested. "Now where would be the fun in that?" Rebekah countered.

Before either of us could say anything, my phone rang. It was Elijah. "I haven't killed anyone." I answered. Elijah chuckled. "Good to know. Davina is on her way. Marcel was surprisingly okay with her leaving." "I made some arrangements." I was always prepared for a great many of things. Besides, I may have got a peak at a possible future of the young witch. "How are things going over there?" "Great, Damon's hanging on the wall, some blonde witch has decided to throw in her lot with the Mystic Falls gang and you're checking in on Eva." Beks answered. "I was under the impression that you were fighting off the effects of werewolf venom. I didn't deem it necessary to check in on you yet, considering you were probably hallucinating. You sound okay, though." Rebekah rolled her eyes. "You do realise Evanna is with me, right?" I gave my sister a thumbs up. "I wasn't aware Evanna could cure werewolf venom."

"You wound me, Elijah. I can pretty much do anything."

"In that case, think you can find out where Esther's grimoire is? I haven't been able to find it."

"Remember when I told you about the spells put on that thing. One of them makes it impossible for anyone to find it through a locater spell."

"Then what am I supposed to do? I can't just go knocking on every witch's door, trying to find out who stole it?"

"Don't have a cow, 'Lijah. If you feel useless, I know something for you to do. Go to Nandi, ask her to call Roxane and ask her to look up the name Parker in the Genealogy. She'll know what it means. And don't forget to tell her it's for me."

"Wait, Roxane? She's the witch that informed Kol of your passing."

"I know, I asked her to do so. She's on my side. You can trust her."

"She knows, Elijah." Rebekah interjected.

"And you're only mentioning her now? Don't you think she might be able to help?"

"I already put her on baby duty. Look, I'll explain later, okay? I'd like to have this thing handled with the Bennett girl before Davina gets here. Tell Rox the girl's name is Liv, probably short for Olivia. She has a twin, Luke. I have a feeling there's something about them, but I need you to figure out whether they are part of a coven. The book will be able to make the connection if it's there. Roxane will tell you. And then call me back with the information."

"Alright, Eva. I'll call you later. And Nik has made some progress on the redhead. He might even be able to get the grimoire of Papa Tundé."

"How is he?" Rebekah voiced what I was thinking.

"He's trying. We'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess that's all we can hope for." Rebekah said. I nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. We'll talk later. And Eva, please, try to be gentle." Elijah asked.

"You know me, Elijah. Quid pro quo." I said and hung up.

"Foxy Roxy's still around, eh? Wouldn't mind seeing that beauty again." Kol said. I rolled my eyes at him. "Give it up, Kol. You're not her type" "Did someone resist Kol's charm?" Rebekah asked, joining the conversation. "In my defence, she's gay." "And way out of your league. You wouldn't have been able to handle her." I added with a grin. "But you could." Kol threw back at me. Rebekah looked form Kol to me. "You dated Roxane?" "It's complicated." I said, leaving it at that.

"Uhm, hello, I'm still hanging on the wall, you know." "We're sorry to leave you hanging." Rebekah didn't sound sorry at all. "Way to go, Beks." Kol high fived my sister. "Right, we have business to attend to."

"Damon? How did it go?"

"God, you do sound exactly like Katerina." I said as I heard Elena's voice on the other side of the line.

"Who are you?"

"She sounds more like a winy school girl to me." Beks said. I had to agree. "You're right. Katherine had a lot more force and presence in her voice."

"What have you done to Damon?"

"Let's just say that for now he's fine. Depending on your cooperation. We had questions for the Bennett girl, she's not here. You understand my problem?"

"You do anything to Damon and I swear-"

"Can you just shut it? Please? I honestly don't care. I'm on a schedule here. And I really don't like talking to you. So, just listen to me carefully. I don't like to be kept waiting. Bonnie Bennett has two hours to get to the Mikaelson mansion before I go from being annoyed to pissed off. If she's not here by then, I'll find you. And I will make hell rain down on you. You'll be begging for me to kill you, but unfortunately for you, I promised Elijah I wouldn't kill anyone. You have two hours. Or else." I hung up the phone.

"I'll go see what they're doing while you take those two to our home." Kol said and left.

**Gilbert's lake house**

"She's bluffing." Elena said resolutely. Kol chuckled at the doppelganger. She really had no idea who she was dealing with. She'd find out sooner or later. Both Jeremy and Bonnie turned toward him. "Kol's here." Jeremy informed the others. "Believe me when I say, Eva isn't bluffing." Kol warned. "What does your family have on her?" Stefan asked. "Eva is doing this because she wants to do this." Bonnie repeated his words. "What does she get out of this?" Caroline inquired. "That, sweet Caroline, is a question you should ask her. It is not my place to say. Besides, deep down, buried in your memories, you know the answer." Once again, the Bennett witch repeated Kol's words, looking confused by what it meant. She wasn't the only one. "Time will tell." Kol answered the blonde when she wondered what it meant. "Who is this Eva anyway? What is she capable of? What about my sister?" Luke asked. Kol turned toward the guy. He was the witch' twin. "The other Parker sibling. We're all very curious as to what powers your sister has. Evanna wasn't happy finding out that she couldn't get into your sister's mind. As for who Eva is, she's one of the most powerful witches of all time. She can make people do something with just one thought. Also, her morals are rather ambiguous. Eva's not above killing someone. But you heard her, Elijah made her promise to play nice and not kill your sorry asses. And crossing her would be the worst mistake you'll ever make. That is counting you trying and failing to kill Nik. Think of Evanna as Klaus with boobs. And a lot more power at her disposal." Kol was annoyed by the fact that his words always had to be repeated, it meant he had to chop his sentences so they could be conveyed. "Aren't you afraid she'll turn against you?" Stefan asked thoughtfully. "No. Eva grew up with us. We're family." "We've all seen how Klaus treats his family." Tyler added sceptically. "Not Eva. She's a spitfire and Nik doesn't have the power to kill her. And even if he could, he wouldn't. Like I said, she's family."

They made no move to get out. Stupid, stubborn people, Kol thought to himself. He went to stand in front of Bonnie. "She's not going to hurt you, you're a Bennett. Eva might even be able to help you with your anchor problem. You should go. Now."

"You're not going to believe him, are you? He's just trying to save his own hide." Jeremy exclaimed. "I'm going." Bonnie said decidedly, grabbing her things. "I'll come with you." Caroline didn't argue with her best friend, but went along. "Fine, if you're going, then I'll come too." Elena said. In the end, they all headed to the Mikaelson mansion.

**Mikaelson Mansion**

"They're on their way." Kol's voice came from the living room. "Where are we going to put them?" Rebekah asked, following the floating bodies of Damon and Liv. "Just put them on the wall or something?" Kol suggested. I shrugged, and forced them on the wall. "It's not the worst wall decoration, I suppose." Rebekah said and both Kol and I chuckled at it.

A car stopped in front of the house. "They can't be here yet, can they?" "That's our groceries. I figured since we're going to be here for a while, we might as well have some snacks and stuff." Kol watched as two guys were carrying bags and bags of things into the house, while Rebekah told them where to put it. "You just randomly asked two guys to do all the shopping?" "Compelled them, gave them my card and shopping list." Kol shook his head, laughing. "Why not just get yourself an army of minions while you're at it." "Where would be the fun in that? I don't want to look at the same face for too long." "Now is not the time to be picky, sister. A war is coming." Kol pointed his finger at me, as if to berate me. "Yeah, and let's not get humans involved in it. They would be of no use, all they would do is die and then be used to strengthen the army of the Mother." "Why don't you use necromancy?" Kol suggested. "Because it's messy and zombies are stupid, hard to control and annoying. All they want is intestines. I don't really feel like cleaning up after them." "Zombies are real too?" Rebekah asked in disbelief. "Sort of. The Mother is apt at necromancy, she infuses corpses with magic, they become her minions and fight for her. She know how to control them because she has done it before." "She can raise an army of the dead. How are we supposed to stand a chance against her?" That was an excellent question. "Honestly, I haven't given it too much thought. It would only depress me. Right now, I'm focusing on getting our family back. One step at a time." "That's probably a good idea." Rebekah agreed.

"We need a cook." I said as I was going through the cupboards. "You've lived for a thousand years and you never learnt how to cook?" Kol asked, raising a brow in question. "What's the point? I always had my food served to me." "You're a spoilt brat." "That I may be, but I really want some food." I sighed. "I'm a great chef, but unfortunately, I am not in the position to cook." "How about you walk us through it?" Rebekah suggested. "You two are going to cook? Now that should be fun." But Kol complied nonetheless. "What did you have in mind?" "Mac and cheese?" I suggested. "Yes, it's been ages since I had that." "That's actually not a bad idea. It's not too hard to do. Alright, let's get this party started."

Kol was a good teacher and in no time, Rebekah and I were able to find our way around the kitchen. We divided the work, which in all honesty, wasn't that much. "And now the dishes." Rebekah sighed. "Ugh. Thank god for dishwashers, right?" "Indeed." We loaded it up and lounged around the kitchen. "What about dessert? Something with lots of chocolate." "I'm not sure whether you're ready to do that." He may have a point. "Fine, but you'll have to make us something when you're alive again." "For tonight, we'll just have ice cream then." Sounded good to me.

Twenty minutes later, our dinner was ready. "I'm bored." Kol said while Rebekah and I were having dinner. "We could play a game." I suggested. "That's childish." "No one says you have to play." Kol countered Bekah's complaint. "What do you suggest?" Rebekah said, rolling her eyes at him. "Bed, wed, behead. Royal edition." "Seriously?" I asked. "Come on, we've seen kingdoms rise and fall. You've bedded kings of several countries. Let's make a came out of it." I looked at Rebekah. She sighed, but complied. "Fine. You start." Kol grinned and looked at me. "Alright, Eva. Let's see. James I of England and Scotland, Henry VIII or Richard Lionheart?" I bit my lip, trying to make a decision. "Bed Henry VIII, wed Richard Lionheart and behead James I." "Serves him right for trying to burn you at the stake." Kol commented on my choice. "He was also an ass." Rebekah added.

The two hours of waiting passed quickly. We gave the choices, threw some insults around and reminisced about the past. "The two hours are almost up." Kol said, motioning to the clock. "They've got about fifteen minutes left. You think they're going to show?" Rebekah wondered. "If they know what's good for them, they'll be here."

"Wakey, wakey." I said as I stood in front of Damon and Liv. I let the witch down. "Don't bother." I said when I felt her try to call her magic. "You put a spell on me?" "In all fairness, you did it first. Your brother is on his way here. There's some mac and cheese left in the kitchen. Rebekah will reheat it for you, if you want." The girl wasn't going to be a problem. At least not for the moment. And maybe if she were to trust me, I might find out more about her. It really did bother me that her mind was protected. The only thing I had been able to figure out was that she had a twin. I had a feeling about her, but I needed confirmation before I did anything. She hesitated for a moment before following Rebekah to the kitchen.

"Are you going to let me down as well? I could also eat something. Preferably your blood." Damon complained. "Nah, I'll leave you here a little while longer. Don't worry, as soon as your girlfriend arrives, you'll be let down." "How old are you? My history isn't that good, but wasn't Lionheart from like the twelfth century or something? Next time you might want to make sure that we can't actually hear the things that you say." I laughed at the vampire. "You think I care whether you hear things like that? If it were sensitive information, I would just erase it from your memory. And to answer your question, I'm almost as old as the Originals." After all, I was only a year or so younger than Rebekah. Almost was the keyword. "Witches aren't supposed to be immortal. It goes against the laws of nature you are so keen on upholding." "I've never been one to uphold those. Besides, aren't laws meant to be broken, anyway?" "Isn't there a price to all this?" Damon had actually learnt something in his hundred and something years of existence. "There is. But I've paid mine a long time ago." "What was it?" I smiled at him knowingly. "I killed my own family." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was part of it. It hadn't been Mikael who had pierced my siblings heart with the blade, that had been my doing. I was the one who had killed them in order for them to be reborn. And that event had put everything else in motion. "No wonder they keep you around, you're just as vicious as them." "Thank you." I took it as a compliment, even though Damon had most definitely meant it as an insult.

I headed towards the kitchen in search for my sister. "Really, you killed your whole family?" Kol said with a raised brow. "As if I'm the only one." The three of us laughed at that. The witch had almost done eating. "They have my brother. And I need their help with something." "I don't care whether you stand by them or not, I only want to talk to the Bennett girl." I tried to reach into her mind again, but I was stopped again by a barrier of sorts. "Why aren't you letting us go?" "Quid pro quo." I simply stated. The girl didn't get it, looking to me and Rebekah to explain. "You attacked us, and until your friends are here, you're not leaving." "So much for you just wanting to talk to Bonnie." Liv muttered under her breath. I chose not to respond. "I'm going to wander for a bit." I announced to Bekah after I grabbed some ice cream and a spoon. I motioned for Rebekah to know whether she wanted some, but she shook her head. "Don't wander off too far." Kol called after me.

I headed up the stairs, and made my way to the balcony. I needed some peace and quiet for about five minutes. I enjoyed the view from the balcony. There were the stables, the pool, the garden. Lots of green, trees. I closed my eyes and let the sounds from the woods wash over me. There were so many animals active at this time. I could hear the crickets, feel the ants move over the earth, I enjoyed the flight of an owl not far from here. I smiled. This was what life was truly about. All these tiny animals, they had no idea what was going on around them. They just did whatever instincts told them to do. This was one of the things I enjoyed most about having magic; it was the ability to connect with other living creatures. Of course the moment was disrupted by two cars pulling up on the driveway. I got up, taking what was left of my ice cream with me and headed down the stairs. And just like I'd expected, they were going to make a run for it. Damon was already down from the wall, I'd made it so that as soon as his brother walked through the doors, he would hit the ground.

"That'll do." I said as I descended the stairs. They'd staked my sister and were almost out the door. Almost, that is. Always one for the theatrics, I made a show of wind and thunder to shut the front door, making it impossible for them to leave. They all turned to look at me. "Welcome to the Mikaelson home." I said sweetly.

"You're the witch?" Elena asked, looking me up and down. "And you're the doppelganger. The others were prettier." I looked at my sister's lifeless body. She was going to be pissed. "Let's hope that doesn't stain. It was a new top. And there is no way in hell that I'm going to clean that up." I heard a chuckle from my brother. "What a pity." Damon said as he stepped towards my sister's dead body and pulled the stake out. "She'll live." I shrugged. I wondered whether Damon was going to make a move or not. "Let's move this into the living room, shall we?" I proposed and started moving in that direction. I didn't make it very far before Tyler stopped me. "Let us go." "I didn't invite you in the first place. You're free to leave. Bonnie stays." He didn't let go of my arm. "You are not the one who's going to be making the demands." "Need I remind you that you are a guest in my house." I met Tyler's eyes when I said that and put a lot of force in my tone as well. Still he didn't back off. Idiot. "I thought this was the Mikaelson house." The stupid hybrid thought he was being funny. "I am not a Mikaelson." I emphasised the son, but I doubted he'd noticed it. Jeremy grabbed my other arm and they both held on to me tight. Damon was right in front of me, holding a stake. This was the move I had been waiting for. The stake landed in my gut.

Kol watched as Eva slumped to the ground, pretending to be unable to move. She even let out a cry. He shook his head, deciding to indulge her in her antiques. "Let's go." Damon said, moving toward the doors. Of course, now they weren't leaving. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Liv asked. "We burn the house and then we're out of here. I'm done with the Originals meddling in our affairs." Tyler answered. "Don't underestimate her." Liv warned. At least someone had learnt their lesson. "She's crazy, obviously. But right now, we're leaving." Damon ushered the others to follow him. Kol stopped in front of the doors. "I don't think that's a good idea." Bonnie conveyed his warning. "I don't care. I'm out." Tyler said and went for the door. And he was thrown back as soon as his hand touched the doorknob. "What the hell?" Damon asked, turning towards Eva's body.

"Damon, don't." Stefan tried to hold his brother back, but he just went straight for the witch.

When I heard Damon approach, I started laughing. I had played around long enough. I heard applause coming from Kol. I made a bow. "Thank you." I said as I took the stake out of my body and threw it back at Damon. "You should be careful with these, someone might get hurt." The wound was already healing. "What are you?" Elena asked. "Always the what. I'm an immortal witch. First things first, let's lay down some ground rules. Anyone who tries to even lift a finger to me or to Rebekah will find themselves pinned up against the wall. I'm only here to get some answers, you work with me, and no one gets hurt. Now, into the living room." Of course, my phone had to ring right now. "Excuse me for a moment."

"What do you think of the house?" Nik asked as I answered my phone.

"Now is not a good time, Nik."

"Trouble already?"

"Just some cocky teenagers. Nothing I can't handle."

"Then I'm sure you have some time to answer a question." I sighed, but complied nonetheless.

"It's great. Fantastic even. But tell me, where is my room?"

"You do realise you were dead, right?"

"So?"

"Normal people don't usually come back from the dead."

"I'm not just anyone, Nik."

"I know that Eva. But I believed you were going to be permanently dead."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence." I had fun messing with my brother a little bit. But we both knew that I already knew what part of the house was built for me.

"It's on the first floor, the north-western wing."

"You built an entire wing for me?"

"Sweetheart, I've built castles for you, a wing is nothing."

"Technically, you compelled people to build me castles."

"Can't you just say thank you?"

"I'm hard to please, Nik."

"You don't say." Nik chuckled.

"Thank you." I give in to my brother. It was a nice thought, building me an entire wing without actually knowing if I would ever make it back.

"Don't pretend as if you hadn't realised it belonged to you."

"I'm not pretending anything." I said innocently.

"Anytime, Eva." Nik said, knowing that I hadn't just thanked him for building me a wing.

"Now, back to business. Elijah said something about a grimoire of Papa Tundé?"

"Yeah, I'm negotiating. Genevieve is a bit demanding."

"Tell her that if she continues to want things in return, she'll have to deal with me. And I'm not very good at negotiating. I take what I want. So either she gives it to you willingly or I'll take it and leave her begging for her life."

"You'd make a poor diplomat, Eva."

"And you wouldn't?" I threw back at my brother. We were both impatient and temperamental. Elijah was usually the go-between.

"That's what Elijah is for."

"He has probably been able to stop certain wars from happening."

"Bloody hell." Rebekah's voice drifted into the conversation.

"Welcome back." I offered her my hand to help her up.

"Yeah, it's been quite the day. Next time you feel like facing a group of people that hate us, take someone else with you, would you? I don't feel like dying anymore today."

Nik chuckled. "I would've come, but Eva didn't want me there."

"You made a promise, I'm just helping you keep it." I said, referring to the promise he'd made to Caroline.

"How do you know so many things. You've been gone for five years." Nik complained.

"I'm Evanna, Nik. I know a lot of things. Especially when it concerns my people."

"Eva, you might want to go in there. They're getting impatient." Kol announced.

"I'll leave you to attend to your business."

"I'll call you soon."

"And Eva, I'll always have faith in you. Always and forever."

I smiled. "Always and forever." I wasn't the only one responding, Kol and Rebekah had said it at the same time.

* * *

AUTH**OR'S NOTE**

**Sorry for the late update, I've been working on it for a while now, trying to get it right. I had it all figured out in my had, it just took a lot of time to put it on paper. It's not exactly as I had imagined, but it's okay, I guess. (I hope you guys like it)**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing/following/favouriting. You're amazing :) **

**I hope you guys enjoyed it. I've already have the next chapter planned out, but it'll take a lot of time to write it down. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Mikaelson living room**

"She's crazy." Tyler said when Eva had left them to talk to someone on her phone. "Crazy or not, she's too powerful to be messed with. She healed from a wound that would've killed a mortal." Stefan countered. "If we have to believe her, she's old, like almost as old as the Originals. Also, she says that she has killed her family." Damon added to the argument. "She cares for Rebekah. There is an easiness between them, a dynamic that can only have grown out of spending many years together." Matt stated. "So, we just wait and hope she doesn't kill us?" Jeremy asked. "You heard her, she promised Elijah she wouldn't kill anyone. Let's hope that she's a woman of her word." Caroline answered.

"She died." Elena said, listening in on the conversation the witch was having with Klaus over the phone. "The girl mentioned it to Rebekah as well. She's hiding something from the Mikaelson's." Matt added. "Is she Klaus' girlfriend or something?" Damon wondered, while looking at the blonde vampire.

Kol listened as the group was debating what to do next. "If I may give some advice. Just hear her out. She's not very patient and she lives by her own rules, one of them being quid pro quo. Anything you do to her or those she cares about, you can expect she'll avenge it. Respect the ground rules she has laid out and you'll be fine. Eva is a woman of her word." Kol said to the group, hoping that for once, they wouldn't be too stubborn.

"Alright. We'll just wait and see what she wants." Bonnie concluded. It was the best approach. It didn't take long before Eva and Rebekah entered the room, carrying some refreshments for everyone.

"You've been a bad host, Eva. You shouldn't keep people waiting." Kol said as I entered the living room. "We're making up for it by bringing some snacks. Besides, stabbing the hostesses isn't exactly good guest behaviour." Rebekah answered Kol. "You can see him?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "Eva did a spell." Kol explained. "And since we're on the topic of spell, think you could do something about this not being seen thing? It's a bit annoying." Kol asked, looking at me hopefully. I bit on my lip, trying to come up with something. I grabbed the stone and focused on enhancing the effect it had. "Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres. Natus Ignavum Evitem. Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres." I felt the magic flow merge with the spell. "Did it work?" Kol asked, looking around. "It did." Caroline commented. He moved in for a high five with the blonde, but she just stared at him.

"You're free to leave, but the Bennett girl stays." I looked at the people one by one. Caroline was with them. It had been so long since I'd seen her. But she didn't recognise me. There was Elena, flanked by a Salvatore sibling on either side. There was Luke, standing with his twin. Jeremy, Tyler and Matt were also present. Finally, my eyes fell on the person I had actually come to meet.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked. "I'm Evanna, but most people just call me Eva. And you are Bonnie Bennett. I know one of your ancestors. I also met your grandmother. I'm sorry about your loss. She was a kind and loving person." "Thank you." She didn't waver, she looked me straight in the eye. Roxane would be proud, she had the Bennett spirit. "Actually, we have some questions as well." Elena said. "Why don't you start, then?" I suggested. I sat down next to Rebekah. It was a good thing we had such a spacious living room that everyone could actually be seated. I was surprised that no one had left, though. "I'm waiting." I said as no one opened their mouths.

"Since none of you are going to talk, I'll just say something instead. I heard you have a bit of a Traveler problem. How has that been going?" Everyone turned to look at me. "They took care of themselves. Just burnt themselves and bye bye Travelers." Damon answered. "That's good, right Eva?" I could feel Beks eyes on me. "You killed the doppelganger, didn't you?" I directed at Stefan. "How do you know about that?" "Like I said, I know a lot more about this than you do. And your Traveler problem is probably far from being solved."

"Eva, no offence, but the doppelganger is sitting right there." "I was talking about Stefan's doppelganger." Rebekah looked at me in shock. "You lost me here." "I'll explain later, but first, Bonnie, did anything pass through from the Other Side while the Travelers died?" If something did get through, it might complicate things a little bit. "I don't know. It could be. It just hurt a lot." "Markos?" Kol asked. "Probably." "Wait, you mentioned him before. The Traveler from the fifth century or so?" Rebekah deduced. "The one and only."

"Who's Markos?" Bonnie asked. "How about we find out whether or not he's truly back." I got up from the couch and walked over to Bonnie. "I'm going to need to dive into your memories." "You what?" The girl asked. "In order to know for sure whether Markos is truly back on this side, I need to find out if he passed through you." "What makes you think he passed through?" Caroline wondered. I turned towards her. "I've had some dealings with Travelers in the past. Markos was their leader way back in the fifth century. He was also one of the most powerful Travelers of all time. You said that the Travelers spontaneously combusted while they were chanting. By dying all at once, they overwhelmed the anchor, weakening the veil. Someone could have passed through." I explained. "Will it hurt?" I looked at Bonnie. She was still recovering from the dead of the Travelers. And Roxane would be furious if she ever found out that I hurt one of her descendants when I could've easily averted it. "No." I said, deciding to shield her from it. There was no need for Bonnie to live through that pain twice. "May I?" I asked, holding out my hands. Bonnie got up.

I placed my hands on her head and closed my eyes. "I need you to recall the night when the Travelers died." She nodded and I slipped into her mind, easily finding the memory. I cried out, feeling their deaths wash over me. I heard my sister's voice in the background, but I shook my head. I was almost there. In the memory, Bonnie had eventually passed out. And that was when I had to become creative. I focused on transporting myself there, in that memory, and break out of Bonnie's remembrance of the moment. That was when I saw Markos. He was back.

I let go of Bonnie's head and stepped back. Rebekah was immediately by my side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. The dead passing though is not my favourite experience." I gratefully drank from the glass she offered me. I looked at Bonnie in a new light and decided that I would do whatever I could to make this better for her. "So, what's the verdict?" Kol asked. "He's back." "That's bloody fantastic." Rebekah remarked. "Let's throw a party." Damon commented. "What does he want?" Bonnie asked. I looked from Elena to Stefan. "He needs the doppelgangers. For now, you'll stay here." It wasn't up for discussion. "What does he want with us?" "Your blood, in order to perform a spell, he'll need to use your blood." And I sure as hell wasn't planning on giving that to him. "What are we going to do about him?" "Nothing. You are way out of your league. Markos is almost as powerful as Qetsiyah was. You'll be safe here. We'll deal with him later. First I need answers to my questions and Davina will also be arriving soon and gods know I'm going to have some work with her." I didn't give any other explanation.

"Fine, what can we help you with?" "I need to know some more about resurrection spells. I've been told that you may know a few." I directed it at Bonnie. "You want to bring the Originals back to life?" Caroline made the logical deduction. "Yes." "In that case, we can't help you." Jeremy responded. "I don't think that it's your decision to make." I said to the boy. "You do realise that in order to bring them back, you'd need access to immense power. You might even die." Bonnie warned. "I know that magic comes with a price, Bonnie." "There's one spell that you can use to resurrect someone, but then the parent needs to die. There are two others, one of them resulted in my death and I used expression, the other was with the help of the spirits. It was black magic." I could use the child parent spell, now that I knew that Markos was back. The spirits weren't that big a fan of me and they sure as hell won't let me use their powers to bring the Originals back. And expression, well, I hated that, so that was also a no go. "Could you write them down, please?" I handed her a piece of paper and a pen.

I looked at the spells she gave me.

_Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas. Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas. _

_Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum._

_Phasmatos Tribum Melan Veras Raddiam Onu Pavadus Ponemus_

"The first one is the one I used with the help of the Spirits, the second one performed using Expression and the last one is to link someone to another and when one dies, that person is revived by the life force of the other." Bonnie explained. Of course, they were in Latin, typically something for Bennett witches. "Are they of any use?" Kol asked, looking over my shoulder to read the spells. "Maybe." "You think the Spirits will help you?" Bonnie asked, looking from me to Kol. "Probably not. We've never got along."

"You have what you came here for, you can let us go now." Tyler said, walking over to the door. "You may go, the doppelgangers stay." "We have done just fine without you, thank you very much." I heard my sister sigh from behind me. "Why are you even protecting them, Eva? If they don't want our help, why give it?" "It's not about their wellbeing, Beks. It's self-preservation. Markos wants to lift the curse that was placed on his kind so many centuries ago. If he succeeds, the order of nature will change. Vampires will revert back to their human forms, witches won't be able to practice magic except for Pure Magic. I can't let that happen."

"How do you know so much about these Travelers?" Liv asked. "Because I've looked outside my own niche and learnt a lot about magic during my lifetime." It was then that I got a message from Roxane. It contained two words. _Gemini Coven_. I turned from Luke back to Liv. "Question is, how come you don't?" I shot back at Liv. I knew of the Gemini Coven and what they could do. "I have no idea what you are talking about." "Really? Let me spell it out for you then. The Gemini Coven?" I heard Kol suck in a breath behind me. "No way? You're related to Kai?" Kol stared at the twins, trying to find a resemblance to his former buddy. "Gemini Coven?" Bonnie wondered. It was clear from the confused faces of everyone else that they had no clue either. I looked at Liv, waiting for her to explain.

"We were sent her to protect you from the Travelers. Eva is right, the doppelgangers are important to the Travelers and the Anchor is also a very interesting player in whatever is going to occur next. A leader is always chosen out of twins, who merge their powers into one." That was putting it nicely. "So, you knew who we were? All this time, I thought I was helping you. Why didn't you tell us?" Bonnie asked, sounding hurt and angry. "We had orders." Luke defended his sister's actions. "Look, the Gemini Coven is not your enemy, though I doubt they were only here to protect. These witches were tasked with keeping track of the Travelers and stop anything like this from happening. They are here to keep the balance of nature." "Which is why we can't let you bring the Originals back from the dead." Liv seemed to have found her strength, it was probably due to the fact that she didn't need to hide her lineage. Kol laughed at the young witch. "She has Kai's spirit. I take it your the stronger one. Girl Power and all that, good for you. But, I had to break it to you, darling, but when Eva is intent on doing something, it's going to happen. And you won't be able to stop her." Kol directed at the girl.

"You still can't bring them back permanently." Luke repeated his sister's warning. "I think I like this Gemini Coven." Tyler said, moving closer to the twins. "You still don't get it, do you? You are no match for her." Kol said. "We have a coven." Luke threw at my brother. "A coven? You have what? Four members? And without Kai, you're really not much of a challenge." Kol joked. "We are still the Gemini Coven and our father can stop her." Liv countered. "Ah, daddy dearest. How is he? If you do call him, tell him I said hi." I had known Joshua Parker for some time, and I knew what Liv meant by stop me. I would actually love to see him try. "You know our father?" "Yes, I helped him back in 1994. And while a prison world might be a bit of a challenge, I doubt it would serve its purpose where I am concerned."

"Okay, can we just stop talking about magic. I've had my fair share of it for a couple of days." Rebekah complained. "We're only just beginning, Bekah." "So what, there's another magical emergency on its way here?" Rebekah shook her head when she noticed my face. "Don't. I don't want to know." "Your brain can't handle the overload of information?" Kol teased. "If you've had lived through my past couple of days you would've wanted a break." "What? A road trip with Eva? Eva coming back from the dead? You being killed twice?" Kol knew he was getting on his sister's nerves and he was enjoying every minute of it. Rebekah was close to snapping. Time to change the subject. "Alright, since Stefan and Elena are going to remain here until we've dealt with Markos, who else is staying?" "Nik won't be happy that you're inviting them to stay." Rebekah huffed. "He's not here, is he? Besides, it's the family mansion." "Fine. Just as long as one of them cleans up the blood in the hallway." Rebekah relented.

"What are you going to do about Markos?" Caroline inquired. "You don't need to worry about that for the moment." "How do we know that we can trust you?" Stefan asked, getting up from the couch. "You don't. All I can tell you is that I promise you to keep you safe. Anyone who stays here will be under my protection during their stay. It might not mean much to you, but I do keep my word. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some things ready. Feel free to roam around the estate. I put a protection spell on it, stopping anyone from leaving or from coming in." "And with roam around, she means stay out of our rooms. Why don't I give you a tour." Rebekah offered.

"Can I ask you something?" Bonnie had decided to forgo the tour and remained here with me. "Go ahead." I motioned for her to follow me. "Kol mentioned that you might be able to help me out with my anchor problem." I went to my wing, where there was a room, filled with necessities for spells. Nik had even thought of that. Or maybe it had been Esther who had made use of this place while she was last here. "I might." I said while grabbing some candles and positioning them around the table. "How did you know my grandmother? You hardly seem her age." "Looks can be deceiving. I met your grandmother way back in the seventies. Sheila was always very in tune with nature. She didn't always like the company I kept, nor did she appreciate my rather rash and violent attitude. Last time I saw her was in the nineties. Sheila was allied with the Gemini Coven." I had liked Sheila, we hadn't always seen eye to eye about certain things, but I held her in high regards. "She knew about your connection to the Originals?" I moved around the room, trying to find some chalk. "She knew and didn't like it. Or maybe that had more to do with me, though I liked to think that she started warming up to me in the end." Kol answered the former witch. "I thought you were in a coffin back then." "Luckily I know people in all the right places." Kol said with a wink. I had finally found some chalk. Nik's organisational skills were extremely poor when it came to the necessities of a witch. "Eva, what are you doing?" Kol asked, looking at me drawing a pentagram. "I'm drawing a pentagram, Kol." "I can see that. You're up to something." "If you hadn't figured that out by now, you're an even bigger idiot than I believed possible." My sister said from the doorway.

"Tour's over?" I asked, only Caroline and Stefan had followed Rebekah here. "Dumped them in the guest wing. They have drinks and recreation. There's only so far I'm willing to go for people that have attempted to kill me twice in one day." Rebekah said as she entered the room. "I can't believe Nik didn't tell me he built you a wing." Beks said, looking around. "Probably didn't want to bring it up. You know how he is." I shrugged. It was typically Nik, he had the emotional range of a teaspoon. "Yeah, he's pretty great at compartmentalising. Then again, it's a family trait." Rebekah gave me a look that left nothing to question. "My emotions affect weather conditions." "You're not fifteen anymore, Eva." Kol chastised. I was searching the room, trying to find some rope. "Looking for something?" Kol asked. "No Kol, I just feel like ransacking an entire room." I finally found a rope.

"Excuse me, Eva, but uhm, I was wondering..." Caroline trailed, it was clear she didn't want to ask whatever was bothering her. "No, Nik and I are not romantically involved, if that is what you wanted to know." I said, remembering very well what had transpired in the past. I saw a small blush appear on Caroline's cheeks. "Oh, that wasn't it. It's just, you died, right? I didn't mean to listen in or anything, but how come you are back?" "Yes, Eva, how come you got a free ride and we all have to wait for you to figure out how to bring us back?" Kol crossed his arm and tried to look intimidating. "There are things that have been set in motion a very long time ago. I'm just part of the unravelling of the strands that were knotted together millennia ago." I had started mixing the herbs together in order to make a potion. "Ah yes, the mysterious destiny." My sister commented sceptically. "It doesn't bode well to insult the Ancients, sister." Stefan stepped forward. "I have a feeling there is a lot more going on than you are willing to share." I smiled at him. "If you stick around and behave, I might just let you in on a little secret." "I know it is rude to ask, but how old are you?" Caroline jumped in. "I'm about a thousand years old."

"How is that even possible? It goes against nature, witches aren't supposed to be immortal." Bonnie exclaimed. "It's all rather relative, don't you think? Vampires came into existence because Esther wanted to protect her family from the werewolves. She wanted to make them stronger. The immortality was a side effect, but it happened nonetheless. Qetsiyah created an immortality spell, to be with the one she loved forever. And before her, others attempted the same. It's not as uncommon as one might think. Everything is possible, as long as you're willing to pay the price." "What price did you have to pay?" Stefan inquired. "A high price." I didn't explain, because even my siblings didn't know the extent of what exactly led to me becoming what I am now. "Eva likes her secrets." Kol commented. "And yet you all trust her." Stefan sounded a bit sceptic about that. "Betting my life on it." Kol joked.

Bonnie walked around the room and came to stand by me as I was making another potion. "Who taught you how to use your magic?" "Several witches. My mother for one, even though she'd rather have little to do with me. She tried, I guess. There was another witch where I grew up, she taught me the basics. But she didn't really know how to guide me further. I was an enigma to her. Then there's Roxane. I don't know where I'd be without her. If you're willing to listen and to participate, you can learn a lot from other witches as well. It's a process."

"Aren't witches supposed to have an aversion from vampires?" Caroline asked. "I grew up with them, so I never really had much of a problem with it. I need blood to survive and I've killed people as well. Don't be fooled by my appearance." Bonnie took a step back. "Aren't you supposed to honour nature and adhere to the Rede as a witch?" "Ah yes, _an it harm none, do what thou wilt._ The Bible says the same. In fact doesn't every religion have this ideal? Harm none, followed by a list of exceptions? It's all ways to regulate a society. And yes, you shouldn't kill people, you should try to be good and treat others with respect, but what's the point? What's the point in being good when you've got so much anger and pain inside of you? When everything you have once loved is taken away from you? What's it all worth when you wake up in a puddle of blood one day, not even knowing where the hell it came from? So, yes, I killed people because I was miserable and sad. I killed people because I liked to watch them suffer. Hell, I might even just destroy the world out of spite." I never had much of a problem with who I had become. Rebekah and Kol didn't even blink when I said that. They knew me.

"Do you have a switch or something? How can you do that to people?" Caroline asked in outrage. "I have a humanity switch, but it's not turned off. You're so young. All of you are. Nik always talks about how love is a vampire's greatest weakness, but it's not. It's that damn switch, because it's so damn complicated. It's not just a simple on or off. You should think of this switch as a light board or soundboard. You can change the intensity, alter the volume so to speak, of your feelings. No one's humanity switch is completely on. When you become a vampire, everything is heightened. Your emotions are all over the place. And as if by instinct, you turn it off, just a little bit. Because no one can handle everything they're feeling all at once. Gradually, you become more adapt at changing tunes, at switching emotions. That's why you're so young and why you have so much to learn. It takes vampires centuries to learn how to control that. Maybe that's why you perceived the Originals as evil, because they have become more adapt at managing their humanity. If you had lived a thousand years, you might not find it as easy to hold onto your humanity. You lose pieces of yourself over the centuries, until there's not much left of you. And sometimes, you need someone reminding you who you are. You need to remember the person, the human, that you have been once. This switch, it's our weakness. It makes us forget. But sometimes, we got to push back, change it up. I feel guilt, I know what I did to those people, I forced myself to live through their last moments. I've relived some of them as well. Over the centuries, I learnt to be more specific about my kills. But still, the darkness can be very tempting. And sometimes, I let it in." I remembered that night, so many centuries, when we all sat down together, as a family. I had even managed to talk Nik into letting Finn out of his coffin. I asked him to stay and listen. I told them about the switch, about the darkness. About the choices we could make. Silence hung in the room for a moment. I was preparing a bowl with some more herbs and set it on the table.

"It's not an excuse." Caroline whispered. Kol continued. "Of course it's not. But that's not what Eva meant. The world isn't black and white, darling. It's varying shades of grey. Actions itself are amoral. It's all about how you perceive them. You are the person who adds the morality to the action. You're taught to abhor violence and killing. And maybe it is bad, but I have seen so many things, things you can't even imagine. Things you will never know. People often do bad things without realising what they are doing. The bad guy usually perceives themselves as a hero in their own head. They believe that what they are doing is for the best. How do you think the Spanish conquistadors were able to kill so many indigenous people? Or what about the slave trade? Or colonialism? Exploiting other people? Torture? Flaying people? Burning witches at the stake? All humans are capable of terrible things. They don't have that switch, and some of them have lived some great lives without having to turn off their guilt. Were they psychopaths? Sociopaths? Crazy? Maybe, but maybe not. You killed twelve witches to save your friend. If you had the same choice would you do it again?"

"I'd always chose Bonnie, but that's different. I was saving someone's life." "One life and twelve dead." Rebekah added. "And yet you learn to live with it." Rebekah said when Caroline didn't respond. She wasn't entirely getting the point, but how could she? She was still so close to her human life. Rebekah and Kol understood why I did the things I did, same way I knew why Kol had an interest in witches and wasn't shy of raising some hell or why Rebekah fell in love so easily, why she was so willing to give her heart to someone. "Still doesn't mean I don't feel guilty." Caroline threw back. I sighed, maybe I should help her understand. She would find out sooner or later. Maybe this way, she could get used to the idea. "It's not about feeling guilt. It's about the fact that you have killed and you will do it again. It's unavoidable. One day, you'll have to chose between your life and that of someone else, you'll have to chose between friend or stranger. The stranger would lose most likely. I've done terrible things, and I might be a monster, but I've saved people as well. I try to be better, but it's hard. I have all this power, I am like a goddess walking among humankind. I have the power to give life and to take it away. And it's lonely sometimes. So killing people, living though their last moments, seeing that look in their eyes realising they're going to die and see their regrets, wishes, hopes and dreams, it's as honest as it gets. And it makes me feel alive. Because in the end, I have forever, my time is infinite. But life only gets meaning because it comes to an end. That's what being human is about, it's realising that your life will one day end. They have hopes and dreams, they try to achieve as much as they can, because they know that one day they will not be around anymore. Their life is finite. But as a vampire you could theoretically live forever, so how do you find meaning in your existence?" I wasn't expecting an answer to that question, because honestly, there was none. Every vampire tried to find meaning in their existence, whether it'd be love, bloodshed, family or whatever else made them feel alive. Elijah found it in family, Nik in making everyone as miserable as he is and keeping everyone as close as possible simply out of fear of being left alone. Finn found it in his morals, his love for Sage.

I heard a car pull up. "You're expecting someone?" Stefan asked. "Davina?" Rebekah inquired. "Probably."

"Eva, she's barely breathing." Josh yelled while getting out of the car. I immediately dropped the barriers to let him through. I made my way down the stairs and found a panicked Josh carrying an unconscious Davina. "When?" I asked as I led Josh upstairs. "She started to feel faint as soon as we left New Orleans, just as you expected, it was only when we entered Mystic Falls that she lost consciousness. Is she going to be okay?" I motioned for Josh to put her down on the table I had prepared. "Yes." I said without hesitation. Too much was riding on this. "What's wrong with her?" "I'll explain it once she's back."

"Everyone stay out of the pentagram." I said as I started chanting, lighting the five candles, calling on the elements. This was a dangerous thing I was attempting and it had to be done right. Grabbing the smudge stick I'd made earlier, I lighted it. The room filled with the scent of sage and sandalwood. Then I took the first potion and smeared it on Davina's brow. I tied Davina's wrist to mine and knotted the rope.

_Verba audite_

_Voca te_

_In mentem devenit_

_Animus sanguinis mei_

I sprinkled some blood on the lily of the valley I'd put in the bowl and set it on fire.

_Quae perdita est_, _inveniam te_

_Sequitas sanguine, lilium convallium_

Davina's breathing had slowed down, she was in a comatose state now. I continued chanting the two last lines. Timing was of the essence here. If I left her like this for too long, she'd die, I pull her back to soon, all of this would've been for nothing. The lily was almost reduced to ashes. I took a small strand of Davina's hair, a drop of her blood and put it in the second bowl with the fir, hawthorn, rowan, blessed thistle, rosemary and mandrake. I set fire to a jet stone and dropped it into the bowl.

_Tempus fit_

_Eam demitte_

_Tibi impero_

A small wind went through the room, I could hear the whispers of the Spirits. They weren't pleased. Davina's body started to contract.. Seems like the Spirits didn't want to let go of her. I continued my chant.

_Referte, referte_

_Finite._

With that last world, the candles extinguished and a final cry of the Spirits pierced the room. Davina stirred, then she woke up, gasping for air. "It's okay, you're okay." I said, giving the second potion to the girl to drink. It was just to calm her down. I untied our wrists. She had a wild look in her eyes, a mixture of fear and pain. I could only imagine what she had gone through. "There was a girl, she was in chains, but alive. There was a flower by her feet. She smiled at me and then she told me she hadn't forgotten. Was she the girl you needed to contact?" Davina whispered. "Yes. Thank you for doing this." "Just don't ever make me do that again. I feared the Spirits wouldn't let me go a second time. How did you manage that?" The girl said after she'd gulped down the entire batch. "You are a lot stronger than you know, Davina. And I have more power at my disposal than them." I said while reaching for the jet stone that still remained in the bowl. Everything else had been reduced to ashes. "I'm free now, aren't I?" "Yes." I handed her the stone, having turned it into a necklace. I helped her down from the table. "You can enter the pentacle now." I said when I saw Josh hesitate to hug his best friend.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Josh said as he pulled Davina into a hug. "What did you do?" Both Kol and Bonnie asked. "I broke her ties to the New Orleans coven." "Doesn't that mean she won't be able to practise magic anymore?" Rebekah asked. "She still can. The connection to the coven was from her mother's side. The lineage from her father isn't connected to New Orleans." "When did you figure this out?" My sister asked, looking me up and down. "Over dinner. I met some of her ancestors, she reminded me of one of them. I could hear it in her blood." I shrugged. There were rare moments when I could hear the blood of a witch sing. But when I did, I could only recognise the lineage if I had met others from the same ancestors. I looked at Davina, she was talking to Josh, checking out the room she was in.

"So, uhm, I didn't know there were going to be more people here." Davina said when she caught my eye. "Hello darling, I'm Kol." My brother made a fool out of himself by bowing and trying to grab the girl's hand, which of course, he couldn't. Shock appeared on Davina's face. "He's an Original." Josh exclaimed. "At least someone knows his history. Yes, but unfortunately, I'm currently a ghost. Eva will mend this soon, I hope. Over there you have Bonnie, she was a Bennett witch, now she holds the position of supernatural anchor, which basically means that every dead supernatural has to pass through her to enter the Other Side. The blonde is Caroline, she's a vampire and Nik likes her a lot. Next to her is Stefan Salvatore, he's a vampire as well and has a vampire brother too. Then there's a whole bunch of other people assembled here, because one of Eva's exes wants to break a curse and he needs blood of Stefan and Elena. Elena is a vampire as well, but she's also a doppelganger. Their blood is important for the ritual. There's also a hybrid here, a human, a vampire hunter, Stefan's brother, witch twins and I think that's all, right?" I stared daggers at Kol. My history with Markos was supposed to remain dead and buried. "Ex?" My sister turned to look at me. "You little lying witch. Wait until Nik finds out. _He died in the sixth century. I never met the guy. He died four hundred years before I was born._ And yet he somehow managed to get in your pants." Rebekah mocked me. "Don't tell him, please." Because if Nik ever found out what happened between us, he'd go on some quest for revenge. "What happened?" "Time travelling spell gone wrong, wound up in the sixth century. Met Markos, fell in love with him, he used me and practically left me for dead. Rox found me, nursed me back in shape." I glossed over what had actually happened. "That son of a bitch. He needs to pay." "He already has. But if Nik finds out before Markos is dead, he's going to bring a lot of pain upon himself." Rebekah nodded in understanding.

"Alright. I won't tell him, but you'll have to resolve this thing with Markos before Nik even catches a wiff of what is going on. And how come you know and covered for her?" Rebekah turned to Kol. "Don't be jealous, Beks." "I'm not jealous." But the three of us knew that wasn't true. "Yes you are. Eva usually told you all about her love life and you're annoyed that she didn't tell you even though you used to share everything. God knows how many times you exchanged stories about princes and kings. I even remember you guys talking about your first." "You eavesdropping son of a bitch." Both Beks and I said at the same time. "Don't worry, I wasn't stupid to antagonise a wolf. Though Elijah and I had to restrain Nik from starting a fight he couldn't win." "Oh god, Nik and Elijah heard?" That was embarrassing. "You should've been more careful about the place where you decide to have a little heart to heart." Kol shrugged. "It does explain Peter's broken nose. Or why he didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. For a thousand years I thought it was me, and now it turns out you just scared him off." Rebekah had every right to be pissed at them. She'd really liked Peter and she would've married him had the whole vampire thing never happened. Rebekah had been pretty upset when he called the whole thing off. "You guys will pay for what you did." Rebekah's voice was like ice. "Come, Beks, it's a thousand years ago. Surely you got over it already?" Kol simply didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Rebekah was ready to lunge herself at him, but I pulled her back. "He's incorporeal, Beks. But I'll help you plan your revenge." I felt the fight leave her body and she smiled wickedly at me. "I'm sorry, okay? It was mean and inappropriate and rude." Kol apologised, realising the gravity of the situation. "Too late, you'll get what's coming for you." Beks wasn't going to let this one slide. "But it's not fair." Kol whined. "You know what's not fair? Brothers listening in on their sisters' conversation." I replied. "Killian was left unharmed, he married you anyway." "That's because you didn't dare raise a hand because he was a werewolf." Kol hung his head in defeat. "You always did know how to pick them, Eva. Werewolves, powerful witches, kings." Beks commented.

"Eva?" Davina asked hesitantly. "Yes?" "I was wondering whether there is something to eat. I'm a bit hungry." I kind of felt bad. I'd forgotten that the others were here. "Sure, I'll show you to the kitchen. How are you feeling?" I led her downstairs. "I'm okay. A bit tired. And I feel different, lighter. Free." She said with a small smile. "That's good. You're no longer bound to the Ancestral Spirits. I can teach you how to use your magic and how to harness your power." "I'd like that." I heated some of the Mac and cheese that Beks and I had made. "You're a New Orleans witch?" Bonnie asked Davina. "I was." Davina looked at me hesitantly. "You're still one. When you're in the city, you can still call upon the powers of the Ancestors, but I doubt they'd be willing to share it. But you have your own pool to draw from now." "They only use ancestral magic?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "It's a tradition. There is a lot of power there, it's only impractical. You leave the city and you are no longer able to use your powers unless you use a talisman, which is a real bitch to make." "It serves them right." Josh said as he joined us in the kitchen. "No fan of the New Orleans coven?" Stefan asked, sitting down next to the youngest vampire. "They sacrifice young witches to appease their ancestors." "What?" Caroline asked in disbelief. "The Harvest Ritual. Four young witches are being sacrificed, but are eventually brought back to life." Davina explained. "And since we're on the topic of that, I have to ask you something about that." I grabbed the plate from the microwave and put it in front of the young witch. She smiled at me. "I can't help you with the hijacking. I honestly have no idea how they were able to do that. I can help you with the other question you had, though."

I'm always prepared for various scenarios and Davina coming here had been one of them. I'd told Josh before I left that this could be a possibility and I had given him the tools necessary to get her here. Josh had been provided with a GPS, several letters explaining what would happen, one for him and one for Davina, and of course my phone number. I'd asked Davina about the paintings she'd made of the visions she'd had. "How about we talk about that tomorrow? You've already had a very eventful day. I'm sure- " My attention was drawn to a movement from the doorway.

There was a little girl there, she was looking at me directly. It was as if she was calling to me. "Kyra?" I whispered as I got up from my seat and followed her. She was moving really fast and it was hard to keep up with her. The little girl stopped in a burning room. And suddenly she was gone. I looked around, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I tried to subdue the fire but my magic had no effect. The flames were spreading out around me. And just when I thought the fire would envelop me, it dispersed, leaving an acorn and some belladonna in its wake. I reached out to grab it when I noticed a red spot on it. It reeked of blood. Thunder roared in the sky, lightning flashed. Looking up, I saw a black sky raining blood. I took a step back, and my foot got caught in something. I looked at the floor. It was now littered with bones that had not been there before. The blood kept pouring down. I heard whispers in the darkness. Promises of a better life, of a better future, my family back together. But I knew the cost, I wasn't going to give in. But it was tempting, oh so tempting. Images flashed of my past, my present and my future. My family, together, happy and laughing. Then it skipped to them all dead, there was blood everywhere. Another image of me holding my baby girl, Killian was there with me. I was smiling, truly happy. Then there was my dad, a wicked grin on his face. He was beating Nik and refused to stop. Then there was Esther, chanting, cursing her husband and children. I was shown a vision of our family, having dinner in this mansion. Everyone was there, my mother and father. Finn and Sage, Elijah, Katerina, Nik, Caroline, Rebekah, Kol, even Freya was there. And Killian, my dearest Killian and sweet Kyra. The three year old girl that I had lost so many centuries ago. Nadia was playing with my daughter. Roxane entered the vision, sitting down next to Freya. I saw Bonnie and Stefan as well. We were one big happy family, enjoying a dinner together. It seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world. It appeared so very real. This was something I could have. I wanted it, so bad. But then I caught Kyra's eye and she shook her head. "Don't forget me, mommy." It shook me back to reality. Her hazel eyes met mine, she was pleading. I reached out my hand to touch her face. "Kyra?" I whispered again, but she was already gone.

"Eva?" Rebekah's put her hand on my shoulder. I looked down on my hands and saw that there was blood on them. "What happened?" I asked, disoriented. I was still in the kitchen, standing in the doorway where I had first seen Kyra. "You called out for Kyra." My sister said hesitantly while guiding me to the kitchen sink. "I saw her." I whispered while trying to get the blood off my hands, not knowing where it had come from. I kept seeing the happy family dinner every time I closed my eyes. And the damn blood wouldn't get off my hands. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Lightning struck. It had been a thousand years and I still missed my daughter every single day. But what hurt the most was knowing that one day, I would see her again, because of the sacrifice that I made. I only didn't know when. And I both wished and dreaded that day. I took a deep breath, but I just couldn't calm down. The whispers kept haunting me. Baba Yaga did know how to play dirty. She had offered me everything I could ever wish for. And I felt the loss, the ache in my chest for something I would never have. The earth trembled. Tears were forming in my eyes.

"Eva, look at me." Rebekah pleaded. She lifted to my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. "It's all my fault." But my sister wouldn't accept it. She wiped away the tears. "It was never your fault, Eva. None of this is." But I stubbornly shook my head. "You don't get. How could you even begin to understand? I lied, I kept things from you. I've killed them."

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it :)**

Once again, sorry for the wait. I actually had the chapter finished like two weeks ago, but I was hesistant to post it. I wasn't sure whether it was good, but I finally decided to just post it and hope you don't think it sucks.

I'll apologise in advance, because a quick update won't be happening. My papers are due soon and I have exams the coming month.

Thanks again for reading/reviewing/following/favouriting. It's always appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I'm back with a new chapter :)**

**It took me a long time to write it. There's a lot of changes in the POV, so I hope you can follow. I've picked up from the start of the vision of Eva, but this time, we'll see it from Rebekah's POV. **

**Again, I'm not sure what to think of it, but I'm posting it anyway. Please let me know what you think. **

**Thanks for reading and I hope you like it.**

* * *

Rebekah froze as her sister whispered that one name. Rebekah heard the pain, fear, loss and love all wrapped into one name. Kyra. Her niece she never got to hold. She hadn't had the chance to be by her sister's side when the little baby girl was born. "What is happening?" Stefan asked, noticing the concerned look on both Kol and Rebekah's faces. "A vision?" Rebekah said hesitantly, looking at Kol for answers. "This is something different, I think. She's seeing Kyra." Kol watched his little sister reach out for someone invisible. He wished he knew what was happening. "Is she dying?" Rebekah whispered, not wanting to lose her sister so soon after getting her back. "No. She never saw Kyra here. She also never searched for her either. It's like Eva knew that she wouldn't be on the Other Side." "Who's Kyra?" Davina inquired. "Eva's daughter." Bekah answered. "It feels weird." Davina said as she approached Evanna. Rebekah caught up with her before she was too close to her sister. "Keep your distance. Eva can be rather unpredictable when she's like this. A couple of days ago she snapped Nik's neck." Rebekah warned the girl.

"He let her live?" Stefan asked in disbelief. "Of course he did. She's family." Kol said in annoyance. There was something strange happening. "Is this Markos?" Bonnie inquired. "No, that's not his style. Besides, Eva knows how to resist his mind tricks." "Then what is it?" Caroline asked, not for the first time wishing she had taken Klaus up on that offer to join him in New Orleans. At least there she wouldn't have to deal with all this Mystic Falls craziness. She scolded herself immediately, she should not go there. But before any of them could answer, Eva whispered Kyra's name again. Only this time sounded more like a plea, a broken promise, laced with guilt and wishes for things that never were.

Rebekah reached out and placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder, gently saying her name. It was then that she noticed the blood on her sister's hand. What the bloody hell had happened? It was the same question Eva asked. Stefan watched as Rebekah tried to console the girl who was obviously in a very questionable state. He understood what Matt had meant when he said that Rebekah cared for the girl. It was a side he had never seen in Rebekah.

Evanna's frustration was starting to show. Kol noticed it seconds before the first bolt of lightning struck. "Here we go." Kol said, more to himself than to anyone else. Whatever she had seen, it had shaken her to her very core. He wondered how they were going to get her to calm down without destabilising her even more. Worst case scenario, they killed her. Kol just hoped it wouldn't come to that. He'd only done it once and it had taken him two days to recover. It had been one of the hardest things to do. Eva had some sort of protection around her that made it close to impossible to breach her defences and get her to stop influencing the weather conditions. At least she had felt sorry for him when she'd come back.

*** My Immortal ***

"That's not normal." Damon said as the earth was shaking, a storm was raging outside. "What the hell is happening?" Elena asked, looking around the room. "It's magic." Liv whispered, not knowing who would have the power to do that. "Markos?" Luke suggested, knowing why his sister was panicking. The vampires picked up Rebekah's plea from downstairs. "Seems like the witch is the source of this." Tyler said, following the others to the source. Rebekah was consoling a very distraught Evanna, who seemed to be losing it completely. Kol wished he could put his arm around Eva and tell her that it was okay. But all he could do was stand next to Bekah and watch her break down. Just as she had with Elijah a couple of days ago, but this time her powers were changing the weather conditions. "It's okay, Eva. We forgive you." But it didn't work, she shook Bekah's touch of. This was classic Eva, pushing everyone away, not admitting that she actually needed them.

The earth started to shake more violently, yet the building remained standing. It was probably due to Eva's magic protecting. Caroline watched the girl and suddenly without thinking, she stepped forward and slapped her in the face. It had somehow seemed like a good idea. And maybe it was, because the earth stopped shaking.

I felt a slap in my face. My jaw broke, breaking me out of my reverie. I reigned in my powers, shuffled my switch around some more and focussed back on reality. I could make out blue eyes and light blond hair. Caroline. I reset my jaw and looked at the baby vampire. She looked abhorred, yet slightly relieved. I laughed at her expression. She still didn't remember, but it had been instinctive, maybe her subconscious had somehow propelled her to do the same thing Katherine had done so many centuries ago to get me back in control. Everyone else was puzzled by my sudden change of tune. "I'm sorry, it's not funny. I just…" It wasn't funny, but somehow, laughing felt better than the alternative. But I knew that I would have to face the reality of what had just happened. The Mother had stepped up her game. Maybe it was time for us to do the same.

"Thank you, Caroline." I said while making my way to Rebekah and hug her. I kissed her on the cheek and grabbed her hands. I squeezed them lightly. "Thank you, for trying. The truth will come out soon, I promise." "Will you at least tell us what happened?" Beks asked. "Baba Yaga, the Mother, Kybele, whatever you want to call her, she's stepping up her game. She tried to stop me. We need to get the others here. I had hoped that she would be too weak to attempt an attack, but unfortunately, her powers are growing stronger every day. At least mentally." I explained. I didn't get into detail about what exactly she had shown me.

**New Orleans**

Elijah was glancing at his phone, worrying about his sisters. "Relax brother, I'm sure they're perfectly fine." Nik said as he sat down next to him at the bar. "Did you get the grimoire?" "Have a little faith, brother. I always get what I want." Cami put down a bourbon for Klaus. "Genevieve did mention something interesting about our little sister, though." Nik continued once Cami was out of earshot. "Ever heard of the Huntress?" "It does sound vaguely familiar." Klaus seemed a bit disappointed. "Celeste mentioned it to Genevieve. I'd hoped she may have told you about her more." "I understand why you would hope so. She'll tell us when she's ready. And I have a feeling it's going to be sooner rather than later." Elijah recalled her breakdown from before she left. "Evanna always did like to do things her way. But you're right. She knows a lot more than she's letting us know and it'll come out. And it's going to be big, brother."

"Speak of the devil." Nik said as he answered his phone. "Please, Lucifer got nothing on me." Nik smiled at his little sister's comment. "Did you get what we needed?" She asked. "Everything's in order." "Did Davina arrive?" Elijah asked. "Yeah, she's okay. We're having a bit of a sleepover. The whole Mystic Falls gang is here. Don't worry, Beks put them in the guest wing. I need you to get out here. Leave Marcel in charge, he was doing a fine job before you decided to meddle in his business." Nik looked at Elijah. "First you want me to stay here, helping me to keep my promise and now you need me to come to Mystic Falls?" Nik was confused. "Things have changed. I need you to get your things and come here. Both of you. I'm scared, Nik." Eva didn't explain further and had ended the call. "What are we waiting for? Let's make some arrangements." Elijah said while putting some bills on the counter. If Eva was scared, then they should hurry. Nik didn't complain and followed his brother out the door.

**Mystic Falls**

"You can't just call your whole team of Originals into my town." Damon complained after I put down the phone. "Actually, this was our town way before you were ever born." Rebekah threw back. "Who's this Baba Yaga or whatever?" Stefan inserted before Damon and Rebekah would lunge at each other. "An Ancient." "Because everyone knows what that means." Tyler said sarcastically. "For now, this answer will have to do. You'll wait until Nik and Elijah are here. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep. I've had an exhausting day." I walked out, leaving everyone staring after me.

"She does know how to make a dramatic exit." Elena commented dryly. "Do you know what is going on, Rebekah?" Matt asked. "I do not. I barely understand half of it myself. But you won't get Eva to talk unless she wants to. And right now, she needs to rest." Rebekah walked over to Davina and told the young witch she'd show her to her room. Josh followed after them. "I don't get why Klaus and Elijah are so willing to depart from their town and leave it in the hands of Marcel. And how Eva managed to get Davina on her side is a mystery to me." "What do you mean?" Caroline asked. She had a feeling that Tyler knew a lot more than he was letting on. "Last time I was in New Orleans, the Mikealsons were waging war with Marcel and his faction. Apparently they are back on good terms. Davina was an extremely powerful witch, allied with Marcel. And now, all of a sudden, they are leaving town because some lunatic asked them to? It doesn't make any sense."

"You're leaving out the pregnant werewolf girl. In case you were interested, she's disappeared of the priority list of my siblings. Turned out she was lying about the lineage of the baby. Thank god Eva and I made a bet on that. And you're lucky Eva stopped Nik from going after the little wolf. She's safe for now, but after the baby's born, who knows what'll happen. Eva only protects the baby, the wolf, not so much." Kol commented. He knew what Tyler was hiding, he only didn't know that he was the actual father of the child. "Now I'm even more confused." Caroline said, looking from an angry Tyler to a smirking Kol. "It's nothing. Just something about an acquaintance." Tyler's tone implied that there would be no further conversation on this subject.

**On the edge of town**

Markos knew that the cause of this storm was magical. And there was only one person who could be responsible for this. He smiled. Evanna. She had somehow managed to survive all those centuries. It also explained why he couldn't find the doppelgangers. Eva knew what he wanted and she would stop him at all costs. Once, he had been close, so close, but that witch had stopped him. He'd believed that he had bested her, he'd left her to die. He'd make a mistake not waiting for her to actually be dead, leaving Roxane to come sweeping in and put her back together. Together, they'd killed him. And now he was back. If Roxane wasn't with her, he could win. After all, he taught her everything she knew. This time, he'd made sure her heart stopped beating before leaving her to rot. He'd find them and finally take revenge on everyone who has ever wronged him.

**Mikaelson Mansion**

I found myself being instructed by Kol on how to make pancakes and waffles at six am in the morning. I'd had a couple of hours of sleep, and while I didn't feel rested, I wasn't tired. After all, I didn't need much sleep to function. Bonnie appeared in the kitchen. She didn't look good. "Who died?" Kol asked. "A vampire." I handed her some water. "I'm sorry." Bonnie gave me a small smile. "I wish I could say I get used to it. But it's not that sort of pain." "I'm sure Eva will figure something out." Kol said reassuringly. "I might. Problem is, I'll need to get you back for that first. I do not want to risk the chance of losing you. And then there's Qetsiyah to take into account. I do not want to incur her wrath by dissolving the Other Side, though I doubt much can be done about this now. Bigger forces are in play." "Like this Baba Yaga?" Bonnie suggested. "Amongst others. But first, I'll take care of Markos. I'm going to need your help on that one. Pancakes or waffles?" I saw a confused look on Bonnie's face. "Pancakes. What can I do?" I bit my lip, trying to figure out to what extent I can trust her. "I'm going to bring Katherine and Nadia back. I'll need Markos for that, considering that he is a Petrov. I'll do a somewhat reversed version of one of your spells. I need you to prepare the room for that spell."

"You want to bring back Katherine Pierce and Nadia? Are you sure that's a good idea? Almost everyone wants her dead. Even your Originals." Bonnie asked in disbelief. "That's not entirely true. You may have forgotten, but when you and your friends were looking for a way to stop Silas, you came up with a plan to send Katherine and Caroline back in time, to stop Nik from ever finding out about the existence of the cure in the first place. Unfortunately, your spell misfired, or maybe it was meant to happen that way and Katherine and Caroline wound up in the time when the Originals were still human. Long story short, I did a spell to erase everyone's memory. The intention was for the memories to return when the time was right. Joke's on me, when only Kol got his memories back in time to stop you. Or to try, and it wound up getting him killed." "You should've just heeded your own advice." Kol said nonchalantly. After all, he'd only been passing on what had been told to him.

"Your spell backfired?" Bonnie asked, while trying to grasp what exactly what was going on. This was a lot of information. She remembered performing the spell, but it hadn't worked. But somehow it had. And Eva had covered it all up. Or it should've worked or something like that. This was confusing as hell. And if Evanna had been there in the past, what did that make her? She hadn't just grown up with the Mikaelsons, they had grown up with her as well. Was she related to them? It would somehow explain why she got a free pass. But she wasn't a vampire, maybe she was more like Esther? Bonnie noticed a small smile on the girl's lips. She looked like just a regular girl. But now that she looked at her and then at Kol, she noticed some similarities. There was also a hint of Rebekah in her. "You figured it out, haven't you?" Eva said.

Kol looked amused. He wondered whether Eva would trust the Bennett witch or he would just dismiss it. "How?" "I was pregnant, so Esther was kind enough to spare me from my family's fate. I'm sure you've heard the story. After the others fled, I stayed. I had a family. And I had my father. I kept him there, giving the others a chance to live their life without him. Don't get me wrong, I loved my father. But after what happened to Esther, it changed him for the worse. I tried, but then one day, I became what I am today. And we went our separate ways." Bonnie wondered what had happened to Evanna.

"How come you weren't around when everything went down?" The Bennett girl asked. Kol saw a slight change in Eva's expression. As he had believed, there was a lot more going on than she had told them. This was all connected. Roxane had hinted as much. "I was dead." "How come you died? Aren't you supposed to be immortal?" Eva shrugged. "Everything happens for a reason, Bonnie. That's what Ayana always said. I didn't always believe it, but after a thousand years, I learnt better. But to answer your question, it's quite simple and also extremely complicated. In one word, Destiny. In many words, well, that's a story for another time. One that will be told when my entire family is alive." It left Bonnie even more confused than in the beginning. She recalled what the witch had said last night, something about the Ancients. About Kybele. Kol caught her eye and he shook his head. Enough questions, for now.

"Since when do you know how to make pancakes and waffles?" Rebekah asked as she entered the kitchen. "Since I taught her." Kol answered. "Not bad for a first try, though Nik's were better." "Next time you can make breakfast yourself." I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee and grabbing some waffles. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" "Take care of Markos, bring Katerina and Nadia back, figure out how to bring Kol, Finn and Sage back, try to contact Qetsiyah and maybe give Roxane a call." It sounded like a good way of taking care of everything. "Who's Nadia?" Rebekah inquired. "Katherine's daughter turned vampire to find her mother. She's the one that taught me a lot about Travelers." "And how are you going to do that?" I smiled. "Markos. He's a Petrov, so with a little bit of creativity, one of Bonnie's spells will work." "Seems like you got it all figured out." Kol concluded.

*** My Immortal ***

I had. That's why, a couple of hours later, I found myself at the Grill. Stefan and Rebekah had accompanied me, but they were sitting in a booth in the corner. Stefan was there to draw out Markos, though I put a barrier around him so that Markos couldn't reach him. He'd have to go through me first. Matt was there as well, working. Elena was still at the house where Bonnie, with the assistance of Davina, was prepping the room for the ritual. I had tweaked it a little bit, making it possible for me to bring two people back with the killing of only one. Caroline had decided to visit her mother and inform her of the fact that the Originals were back in town. The Parker siblings had decided to stick around as well, waiting until Markos was taken care off. Tyler was nowhere to be seen, given the fact that my brother was on his way back.

"Hello, Evanna." I heard Markos from behind me. "Markos. I was wondering when you would show up." Seeing him now, after so many years took me back to the time when we had first met. He had been charming, kind and alluring. Markos had seemed mysterious and exhilarating. He'd shown me an entirely new realm of possibilities. It had been a whole new experience, but a very dangerous one as well. A treacherous path, a slippery slope which had led me to fall, hard. But I had somehow managed to get up again, promising myself to never let anyone affect me like he had. I guess I had just lost my balance. And the worst of all, hadn't been losing him, it had been losing myself. So, I swore to never lose control again, because if I ever did, it would be catastrophic. "Where is the other one?" "Not here." I said with a cheeky smile.

"You do not want to play games with me, Eva." Even after centuries, I could still read him. I knew he wasn't kidding. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. I wouldn't give him what he wanted, so I opted for negotiation. Somewhat. "Fine. Then I'll get straight to the point. I won't let you do this." Markos smiled. "You can feel it, don't you? You've been resisting temptation, but you sense it." He was talking about the wild magic, the Expression Triangle. "In all honesty, it's giving me a bit of a headache." He chuckled at my reaction. "Oh, Eva, you know you want it. Don't you remember what it's like to have so much power at your disposal? Everything was possible. You and me, we could've had it all. This is a second chance. Just imagine all the things we could achieve. Together." I knew what he was doing, he was trying to lure me in with promises he wouldn't be able to keep. No power on earth could give me back my family. I shook my head and laughed it off. "Oh, Markos, you so don't get. A second chance? As if you ever meant those things you said to me, please. I've learnt my lesson when you struck me down and left me there to bleed. You betrayed me after everything I had done for you." I was getting worked up and from the looks of it, so was he.

Rebekah watched as the stranger approached her sister. "I assume that's Markos." Stefan said, following Rebekah's gaze. "I see why she fell for him. He's definitely her type, he has a bit of Killian in him." She tuned into the conversation, observing her sister carefully. It was clear that it had been serious and very dangerous. Bekah didn't like this Markos one bit. He was trouble, in the worst possible way. He was bad for Eva, bad in a way that he could push her over the edge. "They sure do have some history." Stefan commented dryly. He noticed the way Rebekah glared at the man. She may have never met him, but she hated him with every fibre of her being. The girl looked ready to pounce any moment.

Suddenly, Markos raised from his chair. "The things you have done for me? What about what I did for you. I showed you incredible things. A whole world that you couldn't even grasp. I unleashed your potential, guiding you, teaching you. I made you. Without me, you would be nothing but a stupid and naïve witch who had no idea what she was capable of. Without me, you wouldn't be standing here right now, trying and failing once again to stop me. I created you, I made you to the witch you are today. Powerful, relentless, lethal, vicious. And how did you repay me? You took away that which meant most to me. You and Roxane. But she's not here, is she? She abandoned you, just like everyone else. They leave you because you're the problem. It's all your fault. So, give me the doppelgangers and I'll show you mercy and give you a quick death. This time I will bother to wait around and hear the last beat of your heart." I rose from my chair as well.

"First of all, Roxane is still around, thank you very much. Secondly, you see that blonde over there with Stefan? That's my sister, Rebekah. She's an Original. Thirdly, you did not make me. You teared my down, you destroyed me to the point where I had to gather up the pieces once again because I let you in." I had moved closer to him while I had been talking, holding out my finger accusingly and with my last word, I'd poked him in the chest. Markos looked at me in amusement. This fuelled my anger even more, so without being able to stop myself, I continued.

"And finally, the witch I am today, I am despite of what you did to me. You left me broken, but I had the power to patch myself up. I am powerful, relentless, lethal, vicious. But not because of you. I was all of those things before you ever crossed my path. So don't you, for one moment, think that I would've been nothing without you. I am everything, Markos. I am the air you breath, the blood coursing through your veins, the water evaporating from your skin, the fire behind your rage, the earth beneath your feet. I am the shining sun, the bright stars. I am the reflection of the light of the sun, I am the moon. I am the whispers in the dark, I am the wildfire, the eternal flames. I am the whirlwind. I am a storm, a beautiful and raging hurricane. I am your darkest dream, your sweetest nightmare. I am your hopes, your dreams, your greatest fear. I am your demise, your impending doom. I. Am. Your. End." I felt the power coursing through my veins. Power I hadn't felt in such a long time.

There were whispers, promises, voices urging me to end it, here and now. They were tempting me to avenge myself. To stop him, to kill him. No destroy him, tear him limb from limb. Make him feel your pain, over and over again. Break him into a gazillion pieces. Break his bones, mend them, break them again. And do it all over again. A hundred times. And a thousand times over. Incinerate him, make him feel small. Pull him apart, rearrange him. Put him on the brink of death, without pushing him over the edge. I felt powerful, indestructible. His death wouldn't be enough. They all deserve to suffer. Another voice made its way through. Destroy the world. I could already see it. The end. It was breath-taking, it was amazing, it was terrible and yet so beautiful. So many colours, I was the artist and this was my canvas. Everything I wanted was possible. It was exhilarating. I had never felt more alive.

But then, another voice reached me. The small cry of a child. Scared and alone, screaming for her mother to save her from the monsters. But I was one of the monsters. I felt my control slipping, faltering. The power continued to build, readying itself to unleash destruction. I had to reign it in. But I didn't know how. I was scared. I was terrified. And it was tempting, so tempting to just let go. As I was about to give in, to lose myself completely, someone stopped me. _"Enough."_ A voice resounded in my head, overruling all else. The power ebbed away. I fell to my knees. My vision cleared. Markos looked at me in awe and disbelief. Then a smile graced his face.

Rebekah watched in horror as she saw her sister stand up to Markos. She felt the power seeping out of her younger sister. Eva was enveloped in a golden aura. She looked both beautiful and terrifying. She wasn't just Evanna anymore, she wasn't just a witch. She was The Huntress, the Wild One. Rebekah didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to help her. She stood up, but Kol stopped her. "Don't, not yet. You'll only hurt yourself. Let's pray to whatever greater power that is out there, that Eva can regain control, or someone forces her. If not, you'll have to kill her. And it will the most difficult thing you'll ever have to do."

Stefan watched the girl. He had never seen anything like it before. He felt power, raw and pure. It came from her, from Eva. He saw Rebekah hesitate, looking at Kol, waiting for him to tell her what to do. "Come on, Eva. You got this." Kol murmured, hoping that his sister could fight this. He saw her fall to her knees. Rebekah immediately rushed forward, looking at Markos with pure hatred. She lunged at him, not caring what would happen.

I saw Rebekah attack Markos. Kol was by my side. "Eva?" He asked. I pushed my switch as far back as possible without actually turning it off. I needed to focus on Markos which meant that I needed a clear head. "This was what he wanted." I whispered. Stefan offered me his hand. I let him pull me up. Rebekah was pushed back, but she got back up, lunging at him, fangs bared. Markos stopped her in mid-air. "Let her go." I said, while stepping between him and my sister. "Eva, back in control, I see. How sad." It didn't affect me. Long live my switch. "Enough." I cut through his magic with mine. "It was no even match anyway." Markos said.

I felt his magic coming my way, trapping me. I'd forgotten how powerful he was. But I was more powerful than he believed. I wasn't going to lose control, I was simply focused on one thing. Stop him. Get Katherine and Nadia back. And make him pay for what he did. That was the only thing I allowed myself to think about. That was the thing that I kept on, everything else was off. I was going to play a little bit, just like he had played me. "So, looks like you're stuck. Where is the other doppelganger, Eva?" He actually thought he had me trapped. The joke was on him. "Back home. Good luck trying to get in. I worked some of my best magic on that place." "How about I just kill your sister, then?" He could try. "Go ahead." I shrugged, not actually caring for the moment. Besides, she was an Original.

Rebekah looked at her sister. What was she doing? "She turned it almost off." Kol said, observing his youngest sister. "Why?" "Because if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to do what she has to. Eva has shut down her fear, her love, her pain. She's focused, determined. Right now, her goal is to get Katherine and Nadia back. And along the way, she'll probably make Markos suffer. There is no room for anything else." Stefan was looking from Rebekah and Kol to the witch. He had heard the word sister twice now. Did that mean that she was another Mikaelson? He could only wonder. It would explain their closeness and the reason why Klaus hadn't permanently killed her. Answers would hopefully come later. He sure as hell didn't want to wind up on the wrong side of Evanna. And if she was a Mikaelson, he'd be sure to pay for it.

Markos looked at Evanna. There was something different about her. His plan wasn't entirely working, it appeared. He had her trapped, but she wasn't budging. She even gave him free reign to kill her sister. Eva had mentioned something about an Original, but that was after his time. They were the first vampires, impossible to kill. Or so it was told. Every living thing has a weakness, so they must have one. But what was it? And what was Eva's plan? He had seen the look in her eyes, it was determined. Focused. He knew he had to proceed carefully. His gaze lingered on Evanna. She was still a sight to behold. Fierce, deadly, dangerous. The Huntress. It suddenly clicked. She was the Wild One, reborn. He had heard the stories, but he'd written them off as stupid folktales. But he'd felt, not just sensed, but physically felt the power, pure and unbound, seep out of her. He had not expected that.

Markos had always known she was one of the more powerful witches he'd encountered. There had been something about her that had pulled him in. He had played with her, indulged her and had tried to make her into something he could control, something he could use to his advantage. That had of course backfired. She was tempted by power, but she had refrained from actually attaining it. Just like what had happened right now. She'd just stopped, as if she were forced to her knees by an unseen force. What a shame, he would've loved to see her surrender herself to all that power. It would've consumed her and he would've been able to do what he had returned to do. Eva was still standing there, entrapped. But she didn't look that bothered. Markos added some extra magic to hold her there a little longer while he decided what to do.

Somewhere along the way, Markos began to realise he was going to lose. His plan had failed and Eva would kill him. After making him pay, of course. She had a thirst for blood, for vengeance. He had seen the look of sheer excitement in her eyes when she had killed him the first time. He remembered the way her eyes had lit up when she had started spilling his blood. Eva had once told him that she was a monster. An avenging angel, dancing on the graves of the damned. She was not a good person, having done unforgivable and terrible things. At first, Markos hadn't believed that someone who shined so bright could have so much darkness in her. He'd been drawn to her inner light, to her beacon, like a moth to a flame. But then there had been that glint in her eyes, that wickedness and it had driven him crazy. Even with all that wickedness in her, she had refused to bring down the world.

"I'm bored now." I said. I'd waited long enough. Time to go to phase two, where I would make him suffer by my own two hands. Not with magic, but physical injury. Make a bloody mess of his body. I broke through his trap and walked up to him. He looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to get out that easily. What had he expected? "What are you doing?" "I'm being creative." I said with a smile, tearing down his defences. I reached out and took his head between my hands. "Hypnos." And just like that, Markos' body went numb.

"That's a bit anticlimactic." Kol said as he approached. "Don't worry, he'll go out with a bang." "You okay?" Beks asked. "I guess. Let's get going." "What did you do?" Stefan asked, observing Markos. "Sleeping spell." I said while Beks and I took hold of Markos and put him in the car. We drove back to the Mansion.

*** My Immortal ***

Caroline watched as Bonnie and Davina prepared the room. She had to say she was intrigued as to how and why the witch wanted to bring Katherine and Nadia back. Especially with Klaus on the way. Her thoughts went to the blissful hours she spent in the woods with him. He'd promised she'd never again had to look him in the eye. He would leave and never come back. Yet, he was coming back to Mystic Falls because Evanna had asked him to. Just like that. She wondered what their history was exactly. Why did he have to come back now? He'd promised her she'd never had to cover their connection with hostility again. Then again, he'd also made an earlier promise. He intended to be her last, however long it takes. If she were being honest with herself, she would have to admit that he would be her last. One day, she would've turned up at his doorstep and let him show her all the world has to offer.

Klaus was right, she hated herself for the truth. Because the truth was, it would be Klaus in the end. And it wasn't because of the amazing sex, though that definitely was a plus. It was much simpler, he chose her. Out of all the people in her life, Klaus was always the one who'd put her first. For once, she wasn't second to Elena. For some reason, the big bad hybrid had fallen for her, Caroline Forbes, neurotic, insecure, control freak. He got her, more than her friends ever had. Klaus knew that Caroline liked who she was now and that she wouldn't give it up. And Klaus wouldn't want her to. Sure, he had hurt her, both physically and mentally and she hadn't just forgiven him. But she meant it when she'd said that anybody capable of love, was capable of being saved. And she wanted to believe that underneath those thousand years there was still something human left. Klaus was on his way here, and she was going to see him again. Part of her was thrilled about that, but she had wanted more time. More time for herself, for her plans, for her last remains of a human life. Or maybe, she could just take a chance.

"I can't believe you're actually helping her, Bonnie." Elena complained. "She won't help you." Jeremy stood by his sister. "You don't know that." "You're trusting her? She just waltzes into our town, keeps us prisoner in this house, she's close to the Originals and yet, she dangles a possibility of freeing you from being the anchor and you throw in your lot with her? Do you even know what she's doing right now? And what she's going to do once she's back here? You're just blindly following her without even knowing what the outcome is." Elena continued. "I'm not some naïve girl who has no idea what I'm doing, Elena. Have a little faith. I've went along with you, so for once I'm asking you to trust me. This is big and I'm fully aware of what I'm doing." Bonnie had consulted her grandmother about Eva and she'd confirmed what the girl had told her. Her grandmother had also said that she should trust her. Something big was coming and it would do well to be on Evanna's good side. Apparently, Eva was an ally of the Bennett witches. Ayana had taught Eva the basics of witchcraft, an another Bennett, Roxane, was a close friend of Evanna. And Bonnie had decided to trust Sheila Bennett's judgement.

Davina watched as the friends argued about trusting Evanna. She wondered about her own reasons for siding with Eva. There was something about her, a reason why she immediately trusted the witch without knowing her that well. Maybe it was because she had kept the promises she'd made and that she had been honest with her. She'd also talked to Marcel about the witch. Marcel said that she was in good hands. Eva had always been protective of young witches or people that were wronged. He had warned her that Eva was a lot like Klaus, though. She was impulsive, ruthless, vicious. When crossed, she wouldn't hesitate to make people pay. She was a spitfire, unpredictable, fierce, strong. But she was also very loyal to the Mikaelsons and in extension, Marcel. He had told her that they had been friends, once. Marcel remembered her when he had grown up in the household of the Mikaelsons, before becoming a vampire. She was great with kids, she had spent time with him and had made an effort to get to know him. Then she'd left and next time he saw her, he was already a vampire. Davina had decided to trust Eva, mostly because she felt it in her bones that this was the right thing to do.

"Who exactly is she going to bring back?" Damon asked. He hadn't been part of the conversation Bonnie already had with Caroline. Bonnie had informed Caroline about what she was doing, knowing that she could trust her blonde friend. "Katherine and Nadia." Elena's eyes widened, Damon looked at her in disbelief. "Klaus will kill her once he gets here." Elena threw back. "He won't." Bonnie said, knowing that Evanna wouldn't let that happen. "How do you know that for sure?" Jeremy asked. "Because she's a Mikaelson. And if she were to ask Klaus not to kill them, he'd do so." "She's a Mikaelson? It makes no sense whatsoever. They never mentioned her." "Technically, I'm a Mikaelsdaughter since we didn't actually had last names back then." The witch in question said as she walked into the house with Markos on her shoulder.

*** My Immortal ***

"So, what now?" Kol inquired after we placed an unconscious Markos on the chair. "We make sure he stays put." I said, grabbing some chains that my brother had just lying around and infusing them with some magic to stop Markos from using his to escape. "That's Markos?" Davina asked, looking at his sleeping form. "He doesn't look very threatening now does he?" Damon commented. "Of course not, he's sleeping." "Did you knock him unconscious or something?" Liv wondered. "No, I used magic. He's in an enchanted sleep. I'll wake him up when it's time." God they were annoying. "What will you do to him?" Elena asked. "Kill him, eventually. Why, did you have other plans?" "No offense, but I don't trust you. For all we know, he is just another threat to the Original Family." It was solid reasoning, I guess, if you didn't count what I had told him. And even if they didn't trust me, they had Liv and Luke Parker who confirmed what I had told them.

"Why are you still here? Markos is being dealt with, you are free to leave." Rebekah asked, annoyed with the doppelganger. "You're planning on bringing Katherine and Nadia back. There is a reason why we killed them in the first place." "And there is a reason why I'm bringing them back. So, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get this thing started." Damon moved in front of me, blocking my path. "Move." I warned. "You'll have to kill me before I let you bring her back." With one thought, I willed him out of the room, blocking his path in. I did the same to Elena. No need for intrusions. "That's a nice trick." Kol commented. "Ready for my biggest trick yet?" I had never brought someone back from the dead, but I was pretty confident I could do this.

I looked at Markos while he sat in the chair. He looked so peaceful. Soon, he'd be screaming. Bonnie and Davina had prepared everything as I had instructed. "No one steps into the circle until I say so, okay?" I took a deep breath and opened the circle, calling the elements. I preferred doing magic within the confines of a circle to protect others from any rogue magic. Time to wake Markos up and have some fun with him. I woke him from his magically induced slumber. He seemed a bit disoriented. Markos noticed me and tried to break free, but he was chained. "One of the many wonders of this time is metal chains. They're very effective, I've found, especially once they have been treated with some magic." I said with a smile. "Why haven't you killed me?" Markos wondered.

"Because there are worse things than death. Besides, for now, I need you alive. You're going to help me bring back two people from your bloodline." There wasn't really any point in keeping the truth from him. "Some things are impossible, Evanna." "Funny you should say that, Markos. Didn't you once taught me that anything you can imagine is real? Magic has no limitations." I remembered the words as if he had said them yesterday. "Not while the curse still lies upon my people. It is only after the curse is lifted that anything is truly possible." "I guess I will prove you wrong then. Brace yourself, for this will hurt."

"I'm not sure I want to see this." Josh commented, seeing the wicked smile Eva gave Markos. "Why is she so intent on hurting him?" "Because he hurt her. And she's pissed off, angry and well, practically humanity-less." Kol answered Davina's question. "She turned it off?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "Not entirely. She can still feel, but she shut off most emotions. Eva's focused on the task at hand, only feeling the emotions that will get her the desired results." Kol explained, knowing Eva well enough that as soon as it was finished, she'd eventually break down. It had been a very trying time today, she'd almost lost control over her magic. That would most definitely have ramifications. He could only hope that by then, Elijah and Nik were back. And maybe even Finn. It would take them all to get her out of her state of mind. Eva hadn't come back entirely unscratched. Roxane had told him that if they were ever going to meet again, Evanna would be different. Something had changed within his sister.

"Will she be okay?" Stefan wondered. "I hope so." Rebekah said, looking at her sister. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that her sister had this side to her. But she could be wicked, cruel and vengeful. She was the daughter of Mikael after all. Eva had so much power, so much anger in her and she needed an outlet. And sometimes, that would result in Eva taking it out on other people, people that had wronged her, or her family. If Rebekah had to be honest, she didn't feel sorry for Markos at all. He had brought this upon himself. Nobody crosses a child of Esther. They were not known for being the kind that easily forgave. Rebekah smiled when she saw Markos look at her sister in fear. It was about time Markos realised that Eva wasn't someone he could push around. "Remind me to never cross her." Stefan said from beside her. "She takes after Nik when it comes to her cruelty." Kol replied. Even though the entire Mikaelson clan, save for Finn, were known to be cruel and harsh in their judgements, Nik and Eva had an extra vicious streak around them.

"You know, Markos, you should've just stayed dead." I said, looking at Markos. "And miss our happy reunion?" I sat down on his lap, my face inches away from his. "Is this what it is?" "You know you want to, Eva. Just admit it you still love me." I didn't feel anything for him but hatred. "And here I thought it was hate that I was feeling." "Love, hate. It's a fine line." Markos whispered. "You're right. It is a fine line. And the hatred that I feel for you could only have developed out of the love I once felt for you. But guess what, it's gone." "And yet, here we are." Markos said, his face moving closer to mine. I felt his breath on my skin. "Here we are. You chained to a chair and I who has all the power." I didn't move away from him. "Humour me, Eva. Since these are probably my last moments before you send me into oblivion, be honest with me. Why didn't you give in?" I understood where his questions came from. After all, I had let him in at some point and had told him things about myself.

"There are forces even beyond my control, Markos. And today, they happened to have intervened. If they hadn't, I'm pretty sure none of us would be here right now." Markos looked at Evanna and wondered whether she was speaking the truth. He had heard the tales about the Huntress, about the powers she supposedly possessed. Maybe she would've destroyed the world. Maybe she could've done so. And maybe, some higher power had intervened. "And why not so many centuries ago?" "Self-preservation." The witch said without much hesitation. Even after everything he had shown her, she had still refused. He was starting to understand her reasoning, but mostly, she was still a mystery to him. He still couldn't figure her out. "Time's up. Time to bring some people back from the dead."

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I think this was my longest chapter yet. Believe me, it took me quite some time to write. **

**I hope you guys liked it. **

**Thanks for reading/reviewing/favouriting/following. It is always appreciated. **

**Next up: Eva works her magic and brings back Katherine and Nadia. Klaus and Elijah will also arrive. **

**Thanks again. **

**Lovie,**

**Zoë**


	9. Chapter 9

**DEAREST READERS, FOLLOWERS, FAVOURITERS, REVIEWERS,**

**I'm sorry for the extremely long wait (it's been over a year, I know, and I apologise), but I am once again working on this story. But, I must ask you to be patient, because I have decided to rewrite this story. I didn't like where I was going, and I got a new idea for this story and it didn't fit in with what I'd already written. So, bear with me. The first rewritten chapter is already published, you can find it in chapter 1. **

**Thanks for staying with me and being patient. It means a lot to me. And to thank you for this, here's an excerpt of something that may or may not be placed in the rewritten story, but I didn't want to make it go to waste.**

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**Eighteenth Century, Amazon Forest**

"I don't need you to save me." He heard his sister say. He shook his head at her antiques. Of course she didn't. But that didn't mean that he wasn't worried for her wellbeing. Besides, if she was going to visit some hidden temple in this godforsaken forest, he was going to come with her.

"Alright then, I'll just wait out here while you go explore some ancient temple that could cave in any moment." Klaus said as he leaned back against one of the trees. Eva huffed in annoyance. Nik chuckled.

"Come on, Eva. Just let me lend you a hand."

"I'm fine." She shouted back at him when she disappeared through the trees. Klaus left her to her own devices for a while. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn? She may be an extremely powerful witch, but obviously that didn't stop her from getting into some dangerous situations. Nik counted to ten and followed after her.

He found her not much later, standing in front of an old temple, pre-Columbian. She regarded it carefully, as if it would attack if she made the wrong move. He wondered why she hadn't gone in yet. Maybe she was waiting for someone.

"You never listen, do you?" Eva said turning back to look at him.

"Elijah would find it irresponsible of me to let you explore something like this alone."

"I'm not some helpless girl, Nik. Besides, who said I was going to be alone?" He rolled his eyes at her.

"Why don't you want me around?" Nik inquired.

"This is a dangerous place, Nik. Many people that have ventured in here have died."

"Luckily I am not some puny human, Eva." A movement caught his eye, but it was just a bird, flying towards the temple. He looked at his sister, she seemed to be observing the bird carefully. Then she shook her head and turned towards her brother.

"Since you're not going to leave, you'll have to listen to me very carefully. This place is filled with ancient magic, magic I know very little about. I have heard rumours of this presumed pre-Columbian temple. Witches have sought it out, believing that there were secrets buried there that could change the way the world works. None lived to tell the tale. Powerful witches have perished here. And while we may not die here, we could find ourselves in excruciating pain. So, I'll need you to do exactly as I say. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Nik, can you do that?" Kol suddenly popped out of nowhere. He looked at Eva and then to Kol.

"Weren't you supposed to be in a coffin, brother?"

"Eva wanted to explore this temple. She thought I'd prefer a visit to a magical temple of doom over being stuck in a box." He sighed and turned to look at his younger sister. He should've known that she would take Kol along on this. After all, how many times had they ventured off together to explore something related to witchcraft.

"I'll do exactly as you say. You have my word." Eva nodded, looking at both her brothers.

"You'll both have to behave. Don't antagonise each other. Don't fight."

"That might be asking a bit much of them, don't you think so, Eva?" Rebekah joined them.

"I don't remember Eva inviting you along for this trip." Kol said.

"I wasn't invited. But I saw Eva going off into the forest, followed by Nik. I was curious. Can I come? Please?" Rebekah asked. She'd grown tired of having nothing to do. She wanted some excitement. And exploring an old temple seemed like a great idea. Maybe they'd uncover some great mystery.

"Why don't we all go, right Elijah?" Evanna suddenly spoke up. She'd sensed Elijah coming after them as well.

"This is a dangerous place, Eva." He warned her, while he stepped out of the forest and into the clearing.

"Some family bonding, isn't that nice? Maybe we can invite Finn along as well. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to tag along in some ancient, hexed temple. Maybe there, he will find a way to no longer be a monster he despises." Kol added sarcastically.

"You're always going off with Eva on some witchy business and I never get to come." Rebekah countered.

"That's because none of you understand the dangers of it." Kol threw back at his sister.

"We understand plenty, Kol. Eva explained to me exactly how dangerous it is." Klaus sided with Rebekah.

"Enough," Eva said, looking at the temple once more, "You can all tag along. But you'll do exactly as I tell you to. No questions asked. Those are the conditions, either you follow them or you wait out here." Her tone left nothing open for negotiation. They all nodded.

Klaus wondered why everyone had come. His youngest sister didn't seem that surprised that everyone was here. Kol was here because of his interest in the magical aspect. Elijah was probably here to gain some more knowledge about the pre-Columbian culture. He was here out of curiosity and a need to protect his baby sister from harm. And Rebekah, well, she was here because she wanted to spend time with her family. Eva started walking up the steps, but she stopped before entering, looking at something that was written on the stone.

A thoughtful expression crossed Eva's face.

"What do you make of this?" Eva asked to no one in particular.

"Hieroglyphs?" Klaus offered.

"That's in Egypt, Nik. These are pre-Columbian scriptures." Kol corrected his brother with a smirk.

"They are similar." Klaus countered.

"They are, but there is a difference. These look Mayan." Elijah intervened before they would have a full blown discussion.

"I've seen these before, in Chichen Itza, right?" Rebekah wondered, regarding them carefully.

"It's Mayan." Evanna confirmed.

"Does this mean this is a Mayan temple? It's a bit far from where their empire used to be, isn't it?" Klaus asked. He hadn't set foot on the American continent since leaving it, so he knew nothing of the Mayan language. He did know his history and geography. Plus, he had seen Eva's maps of the continent.

"It's odd to find Mayan writing in the middle of Amazonia." Elijah agreed.

"So, what does it say?" Kol inquired. He could speak the Mayan language a little, but he had never been interested in learning the writing system. Eva traced the glyphs with her hands before translating.

"Here lies the descent to the terrestrial fires, enter the kingdom of -" Her hand was hovering over the last glyphs.

"This one is weird. K'inich can be translated as sun-eyed, but the glyph that comes after means night." Eva explained, not being able to make out what is meant by the last glyph.

"Enter the kingdom of the sun-eyed night?" Eva translated the last part as best as she could, not fully understanding the meaning of it.

"Maybe it's a reference to a deity?" Elijah suggested.

"It's possible. But I've never heard of this one before. It might be a deity from the classical or pre-classical period, I guess."

"It still doesn't explain why there is a Mayan temple in Amazonia." Klaus stated.

"Migration is of all times. Perhaps a tribe decided to find their home elsewhere. How long has this temple been here?" Elijah inquired.

"No one knows." Kol answered.

"How did you find it?" Elijah inquired.

"A coven of brujas spoke of a legend about a powerful place, hidden in Amazonia. For centuries, witches have been coming here, searching for power, knowledge, more magic. It's also a very dangerous place, no one has ever returned. According to the legend, it is the place of eternal life."

"You hope to find answers here." Rebekah concluded. Eva nodded.

"Can we go in?" Klaus wondered.

"Almost. There's one thing left to do. I believe it'll be better for us to communicate telepathically. So, instead of speaking, just project what you want to say." Eva explained.

"You're the only witch, Eva." Bekah said.

"You forget that we are all of the same blood. It requires a lot of concentration on your part. But I guess I can make it a little easier for us. Join hands." Eva ordered and the others did what she said.

"Audimus et protegimus." She said while releasing some magic, trying to visualise the ties that bound them together and make a shield to protect them. Klaus gave her a sceptical look, but he figured that after seven centuries, she knew what she was doing.

"_Remember, do as I say." _Eva said before stepping inside the darkness.

Entering the temple entailed crawling through darkness until they finally reached a space where they could stand. The scent of rotten carcasses filled his nostrils.

"_Something's rotten in the state of Amazonia_." Kol commented when they'd all filed into the temple. Eva halted.

"_Wait._" Resounded in everyone's head. No one moved. Light flooded the room, produced by Eva's magic. While it was hard to see in the darkness, it wasn't entirely impossible. Klaus had been able to make out the walls and knew that it wasn't that big a room. But now, in the light, he could assess the room more clearly. They were in what he presumed was an entrance hall of some sort. Most walls were overgrown with plants. The temple had a bit of a sinister feel to it. Kol may not have been far off when he'd called it a hexed temple. He heard something move.

"_Something's here_." Rebekah projected.

"_It's not human_." Kol added. Evanna nodded.

"_But it's not like us either._"

"_Then what is it?_" Klaus wondered, whatever it was, it chose to remain hidden somewhere in the temple.

"_That is what we're going to find out_." Kol said with a smile, pointing at the walls. There were some symbols on it. Eva took a tentative step forward and made sure that the protection surrounding them was still intact. She looked at Elijah and motioned for him to come closer.

"_Be careful_." She warned while she used her magic to rid the walls of the vegetation.

"_There was only immobility and silence in the darkness and in the night._" Elijah translated the part that wasn't entirely destructed.

"_Someone's been paying attention._" Eva projected with a smile.

"_Let's hear it for Elijah_." Kol interjected.

"_Kol." _Both Elijah and Rebekah thought at the same time.

"_That doesn't really help us with whatever is hiding in the shadows, does it?" _Klaus' words entered the minds of the others.

"_We're only at the beginning, Nik. If we stay together we'll be able to get through this, alive." _Eva replied.

"_I can't make out much else." _Elijah let Eva know. She was still looking at the glyphs, trying to figure out how it all went together.

"_Most are illegible. Time and neglect will do that to a temple. Judging from the words that I can read, it is an account of the origin of the world. In the beginning there was nothing and then the forefathers created the world. There's much more to it, but I can't make out the words."_ Eva concluded.

"_Whose origin myth are they talking about?"_ Elijah wondered. "_Who's to say? Maybe we'll find something further down." _Eva looked around the room before starting the descent down the stairs.


End file.
